The Prince
by lovemet123
Summary: After a devastating loss, a young koopa ends up with amnesia and will now go on an adventure to find himself. May be changed to M later.
1. The Battle

**_Hey, guys. It is Lovemet123, as you live and breathe. This is very much a surprise for some of you that may have thought I disappeared off the face of the Earth. As far as writing was concerned, I kind of was absent as I had terrible writer's block and a yearning to write better. This new story that I am posting to you guys is the result of an idea I thought would be cool to write about and would be a good way to practice writing, which might still be horrible from when I last posted something. Though I do think this idea is worth sharing, so I hope you enjoy this first chapter of my new story, The Prince._**

Echoes of laughter filled the hallways of Bowser's Castle, gradually becoming louder as minions approached the gigantic double doors. They look at each other before coming to a decision. Putting their hands on the doors and, with as much force as they managed to muster, pushed them open. The two Koopa Troopas came forward and knelt down before their king.

"Lord Bowser."

The big turtle stood up with his arms crossed, a cocky smile on his face.

"So, have you brought good news? As you can see, I am in the middle of an important discussion."

Bowser put a hand out to the cage hanging next to him. Inside of it was none other than Peach Toadstool, princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. This wasn't the first time she had been kidnapped by the big brute, and it definitely won't be the last, much to the princess's annoyance, which is greatly shown on her face. Time and time again, he manages to take her and the end result has always been that he is defeated by Mario and Luigi. The question becomes if he will ever realize the results will never change?

"Uh…not quite your Surliness." One of the koopas spoke up before nervously adding. "Mario and Luigi have broken into the castle."

Bowser closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt like a vein could pop out of his skull from pure frustration. He could feel the fire of killing intent grow more destructive, replaying that message in his head over and over. The many times he has had to hear those words he wanted to encompass their necks in his palms and rid them of the air they breathe, but he refrains from doing so as he unfortunately still needs them

"You came…all this way...just to tell me THAT!?"

The deep boom in Bowser's voice made everyone in the room jump, including Peach. Bowser knew how to throw good temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way or if any of plans do not go right. Everyone could see just how mighty he was when pissed.

"You act like that is even news around here anymore. Return to your posts at once, and do not come back if you can not produce to me a captured Mario and Luigi. Understood!?"

The koopas nodded quickly and scurried away. Bowser took a deep breath and sat back down on his throne, trying to calm himself. He wondered to himself how his troops manage to function on a daily basis if that statement is something they perceived as important.

"You won't win this, you know."

Bowser looked up at the cage and grinned, excited to hear such sass from the princess. It sometimes amused him how much fight he can hear the princess has, but sees that she obviously can't do much about it if anything at all.

"You know Peach, it is useless for you to keep fighting me. At some point, you will be mine, and so will your kingdom."

"In your dreams. I would never marry a monster like you." Peach refused. Bowser gave a loud, hearty laugh. Peach felt like her words were not getting through to Bowser as he was clearly dismissing her refusal. "You think you have a choice in the matter? You are a princess. I am a king. I can rule without a queen, but you cannot rule without a king. You will marry me and you will hand your kingdom to me."

Peach only crossed her arms. Bowser was certainly right that she cannot properly rule over her kingdom without a king, but she is still not willing to hand it to him.

"I will marry whomever I believe is right to rule my kingdom. Your tyranny towards my people is unacceptable."

Bowser rolled his eyes and chuckled. They have been over this many times, having the same conversation.

"Do you think I give a damn about what your people think about my rule, Princess? You know I only live for one reason, World Domination. The planet is my oyster to explore, and I will seize it for myself."

Peach could only sigh at the empty words that were being tossed her way. She hoped something or someone would come to rescue her from another one of Bowser's lectures and trash talking, which seemed to be the only thing he was getting better at. As if someone was answering her prayer, there came a loud bang in the distance and a child's laughter

"Heh heh, looks like my boy found me again. He is definitely a chip off the old block if I do say so myself."

Bowser watched as his son charges in, some of the soldiers chasing after him. Bowser Koopa Junior, a mischievous little boy modeled after his father. He had been playing hide and seek with the king, though he was not able to tell that his dad had other ideas when he agreed to play with him. Not that he minded. As fast as his legs could carry him, the little koopa ran to the middle of the room and pointed at Bowser.

"Ha! I found you, Papa. Now it is your turn to find me."

Bowser gave a small chuckle, ruffling the red hair that sat atop the green skull. Before anything else was said, Bowser Jr. noticed the princess in the cage. Something that never made sense to the young heir was the fact that every time she 'visited', she had to be locked up. Crossing his arms, he opened his mouth and said something that put Bowser in an uncomfortable position.

"Papa, why do we always have to have mama Peach locked up every time she comes here? I know she isn't my mama, but you said she would get to play with me too."

Bowser could feel sweat trying to break out through his tough reptilian skin as the question loomed in the air. Bowser never explained the importance of Peach being in a cage, feeling that doing so would reveal a side of him Jr. was very unaware of. He decided he would try and approach this topic carefully, hoping that once they were finished, Bowser Jr. would still have no idea what was actually going on, but would be okay with it happening anyway.

"Well son, you see-!"

Before he could begin, the doors were busted open by the red and green duo that annoyed Bowser to no end. All eyes proceeded to give them attention as Mario walked forward, Luigi following closely behind. Both of the bros gave all the others the feeling of danger as if they were ready to strike.

"Bowser! We have come for the princess, yet again. Return her back to her people!"

Bowser grit his teeth. He was tired of seeing the two brothers succeed in reaching their way to the castle. He wished they would stop following him and let him go on with conquering the Mushroom Kingdom, but Bowser knew they wouldn't leave it at that and would continue to pursue him when the princess is kidnapped.

"You pesky plumbers. How dare you come into MY castle and declare me to give up MY princess and what is soon to be MY kingdom."

Mario got in his battle stance as Bowser rose from his golden throne. The man in red knew he was going to have to fight the turtle-like creature again. It discomposed him to no end how anyone keeps stealing a princess and then gets their ass handed to them on a silver platter, only to return and take her again. He wished himself that he had a way to end this constant cycle as quickly as he would end this battle in victory. He turned to his brother.

"I need you to go and get Peach out. I will handle Bowser."

Luigi hesitated at first, but decided that his brother could handle himself, having done so many times before. He nodded and separated himself from Mario. Bowser stepped down and mirrored Mario's action, smoke flowing out of his nostrils.

Before Luigi could reach the large cage, a cannonball shot towards Luigi that hit him directly on his side, sending him flying into the wall. Luigi underwent heaping amounts of pain from the strike, but slowly recovered. The green adorned bro scanned around to find the offender in a mini clown cruiser, which blocked the way to the cage

"Don't you dare touch Mama Peach! I wont let you take her, again!"

Luigi brushed the dirt and debris off of himself and shot forward. Bowser Jr. opened the mouth of the clown car and blasted a couple more cannonballs, which Luigi barely managed to dodge and readied his own green fireball. He moved behind Bowser Jr. and launched his attack, only for the little koopa to counter it with a swing of his metal mallet. Luigi shot some more quick fireballs as he raced to the princess, the young prince following behind. He jumped and kicked up against the wall and to the cage grabbing onto the bars.

"Heh, so it does help to watch my brother from time to time."

Peach felt numerous signs of relief seeing him.

"Luigi! The cage is locked. There is a key at the very top of the pole."

She pointed up, Luigi's eyes following its direction. Sure enough, there was a gigantic key floating atop the cage's antenna. Luigi was unimpressed by the typical, almost predictable hiding spot the big Koopa chose.

"Either he has run out of good hiding spots or he really isn't trying this time around," Luigi noted as he climbed up the cage's bars. Bowser Jr aimed his cannon and set off a barrage of cannonballs, all missing Luigi.

"Hey, it is dangerous to be shooting things like that at someone who is trying to climb to get something."

Bowser Jr. gnashed his teeth together at the unintentional taunt. He hated the bros, always trying to take what is important and beating him and his father. Luigi inched closer and Bowser Jr. took out a hammer from his clown car. The little turtle chucked it and watched it fly toward the younger bro.

Luigi saw the hammer coming his way and did the only thing he could think to do. He stuck his hand out and to his surprise, caught the handle of the iron mallet, the force of the hammer spinning him around the pole a bit. Keeping his grip on the pole, Luigi tossed the hammer in the other hand and sent it flying back to Bowser Jr., knocking him out of the Clown Car.

Bowser caught sight of him and ran to the unconscious koopa kid, calling his name. Mario couldn't stand to see this and went up to the worried father.

"Bowser, this has to stop. Can't you see how much trouble you are causing for yourself? And now his life is in peril!"

Mario saw Kamek out of the corner of his eye and dodged the magikoopa's attack. The determined protector faced the King's right-hand koopa.

"How dare you speak to your future king that way." Mario grit his teeth and he readied himself to fight again.

Luigi slid down the pole back to Peach's cage and unlocked the door. He took her hand and they jumped from the cage to the floor safely. They met up with Mario and started after the exit. However, they were stopped by the troops pouring in, forcing them to the back, against the wall.

Surrounded and unsure of what to do, Mario opened his arms in protection of his brother and the princess.

"This is the end of the line for you, Mario, and your precious friends."

The three braced for a big attack from the magikoopa until it was stopped by Bowser, much to the confusion of everyone in the room. Bowser's eyes were red from the obvious tears he had shed, and his presence was giving off ominous vibes to all, especially Kamek.

"Back off! That plumber is mine. I am going to incinerate you into ash!"

Bowser's rage was unlike any anger he had shown before. The troops wanted to back away from this dangerous scene being played out, but they dared not move as to not face the same treatment. Bowser was too irate to hear a faint "papa" call him.

The little koopa was regaining consciousness, his eyes slowly opening and his body beginning to move again. Taking one step after the other, he tried to balance himself on his feet. Almost immediately, he felt a chill down his spine. Despite his head hurting, his vision blurry, and his hearing deafened, he called out a little louder. "Papa?"

Bowser unfortunately still couldn't hear his son as he took a breath so large, his stomach quickly expanded. WIth one big blow, the Koopa King unleashed a gigantic fireball hurling it toward Mario at a great speed. Mario waited for it to get closer and took out his yellow cape he had on hand, waving it once and sending the fireball back.

Bowser didn't anticipate the small man bringing a reflector weapon with him but nonetheless jumped out of the way. Only now did he realize just how big his projectile was as his tail was barely singed. He watched the fireball rush toward its next victim.

Bowser Jr. wobbled trying to keep himself still as his senses started coming back. When his sight came back, he saw a huge ball of fire heading straight for him. Alas, it was a bit late for him to do anything with the last thing in his vision been his father, who only watched in horror.

Troops outside of the castle jump as the wall of the throne room of the castle was blasted to smithereens. None of them noticed a small child being thrown from the area with great force. He soared through the sky, completely blacking out.

Bowser heard his own heart shatter as he just witnessed an explosion that wiped away one of the VERY few people he actually cared about. The waterworks began again, unable to make a move or a sound.

The troops were also paralyzed from the scene that just played out. Kamek put a comforting hand on his king, who surprisingly pulled him into a tight hug as he finds his voice, letting out a cry no one was familiar with. All they could do was bow in silence as they mourned for the could-have-been future heir.

Mario tightened his grip, wanting so much to sucker-punch his rival for a careless attack. He never wanted any battle to end like this, despite the many things Bowser had done to them. Luigi cupped Mario's shoulder and led him and Peach to the exit. Mario looked back one last time at the grieving monster before finally turning away and heading home.


	2. A Discovery

**Hey guys! Lovemet123 here again. I am so happy to see the responses that you guys like where this is going so far and I can't wait for you all to see what I have next to come. Without further ado, I present the next chapter of The Prince.**

* * *

It had been a long, agonizing couple hours since the accident, one in which Bowser couldn't do much about. Tears streamed down his face, hurt and anger filling every inch of his body like the blood rushing through his veins. His nails dug into the ground below him, as if ready to pull up the surface layer of the Earth. His mouth became dry and found it increasingly difficult to breathe. This was a moment the king truly wished to disappear from the world that surrounded him.

"L-Lord Bowser?"

He picked his head at the call of his name by a troopa who seemed frightened when approaching him, though shifted his timid expression to a more sorrowful one as his dark blue eyes dived into Bowser's shaking red eyes. Silence filled the space between the two before the smaller koopa presented an item. Bowser's eyes immediately went wide recognizing the item as a small cloth. It was Jr's handkerchief almost burnt to a crisp, the colors that made a picture of a mouth turned black.

"I-I apologize for bothering you about this, sir. W-We found it outside in the courtyard and t-thought you may have wanted it b-back."

Without his notorious aggression, Bowser weakly reached for it and took it back. He looked down at it and started recalling all of the wonderful memories he had with his son. Though they were usually up to no good, they were still memories he cherished, the most important memory being when Bowser Jr. was finally introduced to his rival back on Delfino Island.

"Don't worry, my king. We will capture them and give them a punishment equal to this unforgivable crime."

Clenching the handkerchief ever so tightly, a low growl was released and Bowser snapped a look at Kamek. So much rage and hatred mixed with tears that fell from his face, Bowser was ready to do more than give a punishment knowing that there wasn't one horrible enough to equal losing his son. His rival had taken a lot from him, more than anyone really knows, but this was absolutely unacceptable.

"I want to see bloodshed. I want to hear him screaming his lungs out. I want to smell his skin burning. I want to make his demise slow and painful."

Kamek was taken aback by this. He had never seen his king this angry before, even if the anger is justified. He slightly worried about the effect of this unbelievable tragedy. The magikoopa lowered his head as he heard the most ear-piercing roar ever.

"I want him DEAD!"

* * *

A couple hours after the sun slowly set, a party lit the night, with toads of all shapes and sizes gathering in celebration of another successful rescue. Peach had given one of her many speeches that followed the accomplishment and a huge cake was brought out.

There were cheers and hollers everywhere and the bright lights dazzled in the area. It seemed like everyone was having a good time. Everyone, expect Mario that is.

The man sat away from the group with a look of distress written all over his face. He kept replaying the memory of Bowser Jr. simply disappearing from the world by an attack that should have hit him. The very moment he saw Bowser vulnerable for the first time in years. No one knew this, but the massacre of the son of his greatest rival is what was actually causing him sadness. He could only bring himself to wonder if there had been another way any of this could have ended.

Mario felt a hand land on his shoulder and glanced at his younger brother, who had a concerned expression. He seemed to be one of two people to notice the hero's absence from the party; the other being Peach who approached the brothers.

"Are you OK, bro? What's the matter?"

Mario didn't answer, having felt that Luigi already knew what was bothering him, which The Green Wonder did manage to pick up on. Peach, however, was not able to do the same as she made her presence known.

"Are you upset about Bowser Jr?"

Mario sighed at the question, only feeling uneasy by the mention of the name.

"No, I'm upset because Moo Moo Farms is closed and now I can't get milk."

The man in red rolled his eyes, his sarcasm hinting that he really didn't want to be bothered. Peach, while understanding the train of thought her dear friend was on, would not allow it to keep him from moving on. She pulled him up from the washup log he sat on, much to her friend's displeasure

"Come on. Let's take a walk."

* * *

The three had been walking along the shoreline, feeling the gentle breezes and hearing the waves splash against the sand and retracting back into the ocean. The silence between them, despite the calming atmosphere, was beginning to make Mario uncomfortable.

"...I just… I just can't believe it actually happened. He was completely blown away without much of a chance to defend himself."

"Mario, I understand that you are angry with what happened. I don't blame you for it. While defeating them was the main objective, you always made sure that his child's safety was a priority." Mario looked up at the princess as she went on.

"However, Bowser is very stubborn, making it difficult for him to listen to anyone who criticizes his way of maintaining control. For as long as we have known him, he has caused a lot of trouble. I think it is time that we face that fact he is just too dangerous for us to allow him to roam free."

Mario stared at her wide-eyed in disbelief at her suggestion. "Peach, you can't be serious." The princess nodded to him. "I know that you claim him to be anything other than such, but there just hasn't been any proof that says otherwise." "Peach, it was just an accident. You can't blame him for that."

She sighed worriedly at her friend. "Mario, of everyone that has threatened the world, he has single-handedly caused you a lot of stress, physically and mentality. He completely disregards who he hurts if he can get what he wants, yet you continue to defend him. Can you explain to me why you do so?"

"Princess… I just don't think he is a bad person. There is nothing else I can say to better explain. I just know he isn't. I don't want to harm him more than I'd have to because I know I am not his sole problem."

Mario was beginning to feel uneasy about this conversation. It wasn't the first time he had received this question, and he knew it definitely wouldn't be the last. He has always avoided this question when he could and some just shrugged it off, considering it was just a hero thing. Mario, however, had some knowledge about their sworn enemy that stems much deeper than they realize. After a moment, Peach sighed and shook her head.

"I suppose your answer really wouldn't make a difference anyhow. Whether he was or not, it is now a guarantee that he will become completely savage. We better make sure that we stand our ground in this trying time." Mario nodded at her suggestion, his saddened expression giving away his actual feelings about such an idea.

"When you put it that way, I do worry about the future of the two kingdoms. With Junior gone, aside from their personal connection with him, they no longer have an heir to their throne. Because of my involvement, my brother and I will be looked at as wanted criminals and your rule will be questioned. Your people already feel somewhat threatened by the outside world. Now they will be worried and wonder if it's even safe in the kingdom they reside in."

Luigi put a hand on his brother's shoulder, hoping it would comfort him from the ominous thought he has aired out.

"Mario, that is a ridiculous thought. My people wouldn't see you that way. You have protected them for as long as you protected me. They are all grateful for the work you put in to maintain some sort of balance within this kingdom as well as others. You shouldn't be worried about such a thing."

Mario looked up at both Luigi and Peach. He was anxious about it all. He didn't want anyone to get hurt because of an incident he felt was his fault.

"I started a frenzy of rage within the koopa kingdom. They will be looking out for us now. I can only hope that we can find a solution to all of this. I don't want innocent people getting hurt because of me."

As the conversation trailed off, the younger brother looked up ahead saw something almost out of place on the beach.

"Hey, I see something over there."

Mario and Peach followed Luigi's gaze, landing their attention on a strange object that poked out of the shore. Being the curious one, Mario ran up to it with Luigi and Peach in tow. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary rock, but Mario knew better than to suggest such as his eyes came across dimly light spikes adorning the 'rock'. "It...it looks like a spiny shell."

"But aren't those rare?"

Mario nodded and Luigi stepped behind his brother. With a stroke of his arm, the red cald bro snapped his fingers and opened his palm, his pyrokinesis lighting a flame in his palm allowing him to see.

The spiny shell was green and a bit dirty from the sand. The spikes atop it have been broken and the shell was a bit cracked. A little red color was seen in blotches on the shell. Mario widened his eyes as he realized what he was looking at. "No...it-it can't be."

Mario stared at the lifeless figure he identified as Bowser Jr. The man knelt down and picked up the koopa, dragging him onto his lap. Putting an ear to the boy's chest, Mario heard a faint beating. "He's unconscious but is barely latching on. Luigi, run and get some water."

"But Mario-"

"Please, just do it. This is important."

Luigi was hesitant at first, seeing the very lifeform they thought was completely wiped out. He didn't want to believe it, but only because everyone else believed he was gone, even the father of the young child. Luigi looked at Mario, whose expression was pleading for the younger brother to do what he asked. Unsure of what this would result into, he reluctantly nodded and ran to retrieve water from the ocean.

Mario turned his attention back down to the koopa kid and opened his palm again, letting his fire give him light. Waving it over Jr. slowly, Mario scanned over the body and noted that he had some cut on his arms, parts of the front body were seared and blackened, the nails were chipped, and eyebrows & hair were singed. What horrified him and Peach was the huge gash the young koopa had on his head, blood seeming to seep out of it easily.

"My god...I could never have imagined such terrible wounds on a child. It definitely looks like something out of a thriller. With how bad this laceration is, it's a miracle he is still alive."

Peach was always fond of how knowledgeable her heroic companion could be. He once told her that he and Luigi had taken all kinds of advanced classes before coming down to the Mushroom Kingdom, which had aided them when they needed it most, mainly the medical information the helped him immediately identify a problem. While she was not too keen on the idea of saving her captor's son, she had to admit that Mario's strong desire to help others, no matter where they came from, was admirable on many levels.

Mario scanned the small child further and noticed a trail of blood. His eyes followed the drops till a large cliff was in his view. Moving the hand further down, he saw that a large chunk off the edge of the cliff had been broken off. He was completely flabbergasted when he realized how such an event came to be.

"That is a five-story cliff made from the hardest metals in this kingdom alone. Not even Bowser would have been able to chip that thing without bashing his skull in as hard-headed as he is, literally and figuratively. Just breaking that much off with an unintentional skull bash is a miracle in itself, but doing so and surviving it is a whole other story. He should be dead."

Peach also felt astonished hearing this. She looked down at the body that managed to keep its life from perishing at a tender age, wondering what part of the future this discovery would affect. The younger brother eventually returned with a pale full of water from the ocean, Mario nodding to him.

"Thank you, Luigi."

Mario grabbed a handful of water and poured it all over the wound in an attempt to wash out the sand and blood that covered it. Looking at the wound once more, Mario gently traces over the crease. He felt the rough almost dry texture of the cut.

"It looks like it sealed itself up, but it isn't completely healed. Peach, I will take him to the castle, give him some antistatics, and see if I can stitch this thing up. That way when he wakes if he wakes after I inject him, he won't feel the piercing pain that will come when he is fully conscious."

Peach gave her friend a bewildered expression.

"Mario, that is an awfully dangerous decision."

Mario shook his head. He wasn't having any of it. "Peach, I can't just leave him out here like this. That gash still has a chance of getting infected and he could die. I have to do something."

Peach knew better than to suggest something like that to the hero of her kingdom. His selfless heart kept him from considering a heartless action, especially when it involved a young child. In this instance, Bowser Jr. was a victim of an event no one had seen coming. He shouldn't be punished for an attack his father was responsible for, and for better or worse, she knows Mario would only blame himself for not doing something to help, if not for the incident itself. She realized he was right and nodded.

"Alright. Luigi and I will round up the toads and send them home. We will meet you in the ER when we are finished."

She and Luigi stood back up and began their trek back to the site of the celebration by toads who were unaware of what was going on. Mario scooped the young koopa up and started to make his way back to the castle through the forest. He was hoping he could get there in time.

* * *

 **What a discovery that was, huh? He is still alive...for the most part, haha**

 **The next chapter should explore one of the important aspects of this particular fanfic, and I am super excited to be working on it next. I am hoping to make this into a monthly series so that I can have the time to work on everything.**

 **Also, I would like to address something that I am sure some people are wondering about, which are the other fanfics that I have going on, namely A Change Of Heart: Love And War. I have had some progress editing it and the first chapter may come out soon. However, just like this story, I want to take my time with the others to make it as good as it can possibly be. When we did the first story, it was just a jumbled mess that we were able to put together into a story.** **It isn't over, but progress may not happen till that is fixed.**

 **And truthfully, I am much more interested in what I have here since I am more of a Super Mario fan (Going back to teh roots) than a Lilo and Stitch fan. So, it is more likely that The Prince will have a bigger priority over A Change Of Hearts 2, especially when I don't have a lot of ideas for the latter. On top of that, I am also just getting back into writing again after an exhausting year of writer's block, which is a terrible thing lol.**

 **Alright, what did you all think of this? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Leave a review! That always helps. See you next time. And Happy New Year's!**


	3. Awakening

Darkness...Quiet darkness...unable to spot any sort of revealing light anywhere, though he could feel a presence there. It was like whatever was there was unaware or had just completely abandoned him. It was a contradiction in itself. It was an empty feeling, but it hurt so much that he couldn't dismiss it.

Sounds of footsteps started to bounce around and gradually grew louder to till its piercing taps rang before it died down and a puddle came into view. He looked down at the puddle but didn't see anything, not even his own reflection. It frightened him a bit and he backed away from the puddle.

He didn't know where he was or how he got there. He was sad and just wanted the seemingly never-ending darkness to disappear. He wanted to cry for help but couldn't find his voice in the empty space he occupied. He wanted something, but could never really place what it became spooked by a booming voice that called out to him in a melancholic tone that put him in a petrified state.

"...Help….me…"

He was too shocked at the events that played out for him to hear the words clearly and shrunk back in his fetal position when he saw a giant hand floating across the space toward him. It was yellow and full of scale, a black spiked band wrapped around the wrist, and sharp nails that stuck out like claws. He looked around hoping that there was a light that would save him from the approaching dismembered body part when he heard the voice again.

"Heeeeelllllp…..meeeeeee."

He wanted to scream at it to go away but was to no avail as his voice seemed to be lost in the darkness that surrounded him. His eyes widened and body shook as the hand rose up knowing where this was leading to, but couldn't find the strength in his legs to move out of the way. He heard one final call out to him before watching the hand come down on him at a blazing speed.

"Wake Up…"

* * *

With an alarming yell that bounced off all of the walls, a boy woke up and sat straight hyperventilating as his vision came back to him. He noted that he was in a pale white dimly lit room laying on a bed with a monitor to the side of it the making constant noise. Wires that were connected to this monitor also linked to his arm which he observed thoroughly and still could not come to a conclusion of what has happened to him. His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and he saw a man in a red shirt, blue overalls, white gloves and red cap with a silly looking nose, mustache, and blue eyes

"Oh thank god. You are awake."

He approached the young, confused koopa cautiously as to not put him in a state of fear, which he felt he had already done to the boy, eventually getting close enough sit on the bed as the child stared at him.

"I was worried you weren't going to make it in time, but you managed to pull through long enough for me to tend to your wounds. I hope you are feeling OK."

The turtle couldn't answer him at that moment being unsure of what he was talking about and attempted moving his body around before discovering he couldn't feel much of anything which alerted him a little. His small body shook feeling the pair of deep sea blue eyes staring at him with concern, a response the little boy was not used to having from the rival of his gargantuan father that was nowhere in the room. The man could sense a bit of panic in the youngster and only gave a bright smile mentally pleading that Junior wouldn't attempt to escape, especially after what he had to go through to bring him to the ER.

"Careful. You don't want to move too much. Your body hasn't yet fully healed from all the wounds."

The kid stared at the mystery man with such amazement as he didn't understand why the man was so willing to help him out when he didn't have any idea who he was. However, as he concentrated on the man's attitude toward him, the young koopa started to feel a bit of warmth moving about in him and his panicked state slowly decreased to a more calming level. The boy couldn't place it even if it was on the tip of his tongue, but seeing the man in red was relaxing to him despite the fact that he was in the emergency room. One thought that did make the turtle kid give pause were the scabs, bruises, and cuts that he had acquired all over his body incognizant as to how they got there. What kind of devastating situation was he in that could have caused such awful tear like what he has.

Without much time to analyze the lacerations, he heard the tapping of footsteps that made their way into the room and carried with them a beautiful lady in a puffy pink dress. She had a light skin tone with a clear complexion that made her face look smooth, wavy blonde locks from her head to her hips with bangs that covered her forehead, and icy blue eyes that carried the same warmth that the man's eyes brought. Her hands were intertwined in front of the dress with pearly white gloves that stretched across her forearms, shaping the outer layer of the glove to fit the arm.

The strangers looked at each other with eyes interlocking, one pair showing signs of relief and satisfaction while the other pair sent signs of concern and anxiety, though the latter softened when she saw the results.

"He is OK!"

"Oh, that's wonderful to here. It seems like you are a miracle worker for anyone. The endless amount of knowledge you carry with you to solve even the most complex situations is certainly breath-taking."

The gentleman rose from his seat in a polite fashion and greeted her with a hug before throwing their attention over to the confused koopa turtle that sat silently on the bed. The taller and younger looking woman gave a small sigh as she turned her attention to the shorter man with a feeling of unease running down her back. As much as she appreciated the hard work he put in for the child, there was something a bit off about how smooth it played out in their favor. She watched the timidness of the koopa begin to show as he attempted to say the first few words that they would hear since the scarring accident that put him in this position.

"T-thank you...for helping me."

The man went to take his seat next boy and kept his bright smile on his face which slowly shifted to a confused frown when the receiver quickly turned his head away fearfully.

"You...You aren't going to hurt me...are you?"

This question bewildered the man greatly for he did not expect this question to come out of the mouth of someone who knows him extremely well, albeit through the wrong information, but not dangerous.

"What? What gave you that idea, Junior?"

"Junior?" The young koopa repeated in a curious tone trying to register what the man had just called him, but he didn't seem to understand the meaning which also confused the man.

"Yes, Junior." He repeated to the boy. "That is your name."

"My name? I have a name?"

This statement caused not only the man but also the woman to become perplexed and slightly worried for the koopa named 'Junior."

"Y-you don't know what your name is?" The boy shook his head at the question and the man was starting to get an idea of what happened as he pointed at himself and his next question. "Do you know who I am?"

The young boy paused for a moment to process the question while looking at him and finally came to a conclusion that put the man in a very worried spot.

"Y-yeah. You are my friend. You told me that you helped me get better and that is what a friend does...at least I think that's what they do."

"What about her?"

The child looked at the woman that walked into the room with pure curiosity tilting his head and squinting his eyes analyzing all of the details again. She appeared to have sugary sweet charisma over a mother-like personality, though he could also see in her eyes how apprehensive she was about the position he himself was in. However, without a shadow of a doubt, he couldn't recall anything about her and shook his head slowly, confirming the theory the man had in mind.

"I don't believe so...I-Is she your friend, too?"

"...Oh boy."

The man stands from his place on the bed and walks over to the pretty woman with a look on his face that spoke the words that she hoped wouldn't be true. He fixed his face back to his smile and turned to the young boy who sat on the bed curious as to what his new friends were about to do.

"Yeah, she is a great friend of mine and I need to talk to her about something really fast. Just sit there for now and we will be right back."

Mario and Peach walk out of the emergency room and created some distance between themselves and the room, hoping to get enough privacy to talk about the situation and find a solution to it. "Alright." The short man began turning to the impatient princess hoping to figure out how to tell her highness his conclusion but figured it would be best to be straightforward with her.

"So, I have found that Junior has sustained Traumatic Brain Injury which he may have gotten from hitting that cliff so hard. As I suspected, he lost a couple pints of blood and was definitely hanging onto life by a thread so to speak. A couple hours later and his death would have been a reality. I am surprised I managed to make it past the gates without it happening, let alone the ER and that doesn't include all of the guards I had to avoid just to make it here."

Peach gave a small sigh of discontent upon hearing the surprisingly startling news of her captor's son. It was one thing for fate to decide that the small boy would fall into their hands but is it a completely different story altogether when the boy can't remember anything about the said incident that put him there. "Oh, bright stars. How could we have ever gotten into such a nasty situation."

Mario looked at her bewildered expression, being unable to read Peach's feelings.

"Peach, I know this is an uncomfortable situation for you, but I didn't think you would be shocked but this outcome."

"I'm not at in the very least surprised that he would have such a terrible condition. That does not mean I am happy about it."

Mario inhales a big breath and exhales slowly as if trying to calm himself for the next words that were about to fall from his mouth

"Well, hold on to your crown because it is about to get worse. In addition to the brain injury, he also seems to have Focal Retrograde Amnesia. He can't remember anything about his past before the accident. He still remembers basic things like how to talk, eat, think, and can understand simple ideas such as the alphabet, numbers, friendship, love, hate, and enemies, but everything about who he was, who we are, has completely disappeared from his memory."

Peach could only stare at her friend, feeling numb and weightless as fear coursed through her body and silence filled her ears from hearing anything more than mumbles from the short man.

Barely managing to find her way back to her body, she backs herself into a chair with Mario leading her and sits down, taking many deep breaths to try and relax, though it didn't seem to be helping much. Soon after, Luigi returns with a small assortment of foods, snacks and baked goods made by the chefs of the castle. "OK, so I brought back some steaks and fries, pasta, some burgers, chips, cookies, slices of cake, and a whole arrangement of soda pop."

"Luigi, this is a lot of food."

The taller brother looked at Mario as he started stuffing his face with a couple of the red colored chips with a crisp crunch to each one he placed in his mouth.

"Well, since we missed the feast at the celebration and Junior hasn't eaten yet, I figured it was a good idea to stock up. Besides, I am not even sure how much the kid can eat anyway. He is a koopa after all, and in that Bowser's only biological child."

Mario only closed his eyes and shook his head at the man in green for not remembering manners in front of the princess even when her given expression suggests that they were the last things she cared to worry about.

"Not that he would really know that anymore. He has amnesia so he won't recognize you."

Luigi paused from chewing the mush as he processed what he brother laid out for him. He stared at Mario hoping to see a small crack of a smile or immediate chuckling from some cruel joke the two had planned when he came back, but upon further silence, he realized it wasn't a laughing matter. He finished what was left in his mouth and swallowed before speaking again.

"You mean the Junior we know is gone?"

Mario nodded his head at the question waiting to see what his little brother's response would be. Though, he had a feeling they would soon get into a lengthy discussion.

"What are we going to do with him?"

"What can we do with him?" Mario questioned.

Peach stood up from the chair after taking a minute to collect herself and come back to her two friends.

"We could ask one of the magikoopas to help restore his memory." She suggested.

Mario shook his head at the idea. "No, that would be too risky. Everyone knows who the Koopa family are, including Junior. We would be lucky if one of them allowed us to speak before attacking us. Besides, amnesia is not something that can be fixed simply with magic of any kind. It will either come to him slowly or instantaneously."

"What if we took him and sold him on the black market? He would make us a fortune!" Luigi cackles evilly earning a small punch in the arm and a glare from his older brother. "I was kidding, Mario."

"This is no time to be funny, Luigi." Mario indicated. "We have a serious issue on our hands and we need to think of something that will be able to fix it."

"What about sending him to an adoption agency for the time being?" Peach piped up.

"That is definitely not going to happen, especially with everything that is going on out there. People will recognize him and run him out of town, and then they may question your involvement with this. Not to mention if the news were to break out to his father that his child had been put up for adoption, I am pretty sure the last thing he is going to want to do is fill out paperwork."

"Then, why don't we just take him to Bowser?" Luigi said.

Mario stayed silent for a moment at that suggestion hoping that his younger brother would understand that it is too soon to do such a thing.

"That would be a suicide mission, Luigi. The last thing he wants to see is his son walking into the castle he just blew him out of. He will either think it is Junior's ghost come to haunt him, or that it was a ploy by us to get him to give up his kingdom. Either way, he will send his troops to 'vanquish' Junior, and then he would really die."

Peach sighed at that notion. Bowser wasn't someone that let things go easily and it seems that Mario has really filled the monster sized shoes and walked a mile in them. Despite the many suggestions that were at their hands with not much after, the man had turned them all down.

"Then, maybe it would be a better idea to put him out of his misery." Peach said with a gloomy expression. Mario stared at the princess with a look that made his presence a little more terrifying to be around, not including the added pressure of making such a choice.

"...No. Absolutely not, princess. I am not going to take the life of a child people think has died, especially when I worked so hard to bring him back.'

"Believe me, Mario. I do not want to lead such a foul execution, but there just doesn't seem to be a lot of options for him and the ones we do have put him or us in danger."

Luigi listened to the pained cries of the two people he loved the most trying to decide the fate of a boy that had no memory of anyone, including himself. He only wished that was a way to keep Junior safe with him and Mario until they found a better solution. Then, an idea popped into his head, a way that they could save Junior's life and give him purpose.

"Maybe we don't have to."

Mario and Peach gave Luigi their attention in hopes of a better idea than the ones they had just proposed.

"I mean if our Junior is really gone, and this Junior doesn't remember anything, then it is possible we could rewrite Junior."

"Rewrite Junior?" Mario questioned

"Yeah. You know, raise him again. This time with new memories, new moral, new manners. Make him into a more respectable koopa."

Peach put her hand on Luigi's shoulder and gave him a sad smile, one that knocked his confident one back. "I appreciate the want to help out, Luigi, But-"

"No. No buts." Mario interjected the attention shifting over to the smaller brother.

"Luigi may be onto something. If this really is a…"Blank" Junior, then for the time being he could grow up here in the Mushroom Kingdom. It is a much safer place than the lava moats of Bowser's Castle and he would never be constantly put in danger like he used to be. And since he technically is still the heir of the Koopa Kingdom, when he goes back, why not go back a much stronger ruler? We could teach him what it means to be a king."

Peach's expression changed to a worried one. "But Mario, are you sure you want to take that responsibility?" To which the man nodded.

"As strange as it may sound, I want to see him grow up to become someone that can make a difference, Peach, and he is in an unusual position to do so."

Peach went silent for a moment as she thought about this particular scenario. The only thing that worried her is if Bowser were to invade the castle again and spot Junior living there. All hell would definitely break loose, but Mario and Luigi had always been there to help save the day and she could count on them to be there in such a desperate time. Mario seemed like he really wanted to do this, more or less because of it being the better option and she trusts him enough to make the better decisions when he needed to. With a small sigh, she spoke again. "Alright, if you insist on this, I will talk to the grand counsel about allowing a special pardon for you to take care of him."

Mario smiled brightly at the response, finally knowing they had come to an agreement. "Don't worry, Peach. If they allow me to do so, I will take full responsibility for him and will do my best to raise him into a gentleman."

* * *

 _ **Sorry if the end seemed a little rushed, but I hope you guys enjoyed this next chapter! Leave a comment for me and tell me what you thought~**_

 _ **For those that didn't catch it or were confused, the beginning was a nightmare that Junior was having. These nightmares will be another important aspect of the story later on, so keep that in mind. :)**_


	4. Promise

**_Hey, guys. I know yesterday was the first and this wasn't posted, but it was in honor of Easter and I didn't want to post it on a day infamous for the cruel April Fools jokes and gags lol. I hope you guys had a wonderful weekend and spent time with your families. Now, without further ado, here is the fourth chapter of The Prince._**

* * *

He looked ridiculous and felt uncomfortable at the situation he had been put in. He growled and grunted as he fought to get his outfit on himself. "Stupid uneven stitching." He mumbled to himself as he tried to fit his arm through the sleeve, his nails getting caught in the threads that make up the green shirt. Mario monitored him from the sidelines of this seemingly dangerous battle when Peach walked in with a pink serving cart.

On top of the cart were pink teacups on small white plates surrounding a teapot and two separate trays. One holds stacks of small crustless sandwiches and the other holds a stack of small square pieces of white cake, the latter Mario could assume was made by Peach herself. The princess took a seat next to her friend and stared at the young warrior, who seemed to be in a losing fight at this point. "How is he doing so far?" Peach inquired to Mario, who could only watch in disbelief at Junior, feeling more stunned and amused than disappointed.

"...He has an IQ level higher than any of the scholarly koopas that I've ever met on any adventure I have been on, let alone any of our residential scholarly toads. He is able to make toys that are more dangerous than any power item on the market, has operated tons of Machinery twice his size, and has even found a way to be able to get into outer space without the need for a spacesuit... And yet he is fighting with clothing. I say he has never been better." Mario says sarcastically.

Peach sighed aware of her friend's disapproval of a decision that made it mandatory for the koopa to put on the outfit. "Mario, I understand the trouble you think this will be, but this could become a missed opportunity for him."

The mustachioed man shifted his attention to her. "Princess, I really do not believe it is a good idea to put him in school. Kids his age aren't exactly welcoming of new people, and that is if they don't recognize him as the son of the king that gives their parents so much trouble."

Peach sighed at that notion Mario mentioned. It would definitely be a difficult task for Junior to make friends if everyone else around him knows what he used to be. The change they want to see in Junior was one with a long road filled with challenging obstacles. She, however, was full of hope that the young koopa will turn out alright, especially so when he was in the care of Mario and Luigi.

"I realize that, Mario. Believe me, I know you want the best for him, but I am confident that we can help give him a life he deserves. If we can put him in an environment with others that won't think about who he used to be or the kinds of trouble he was responsible for, he could warm up to meeting new people as much as new people would be able to warm up to him, allowing him to achieve a peaceful mindset of the world around him."

A loud grunt was heard immediately followed by a thud, grabbing Mario and Peach's attention. Junior, in the continued attempt to get dressed in fancy clothes, had fallen to the floor. Aggravated by the many failures of something that was believed to be simple, the young boy tears his way out of the fabric to free himself from his threaded confines. "...Yep, that's a real peaceful mindset he has going for him." Mario said with a deadpan expression opposite Peach's surprised and horrified one.

Junior finished destroying what remained of his captor before calming down and took a moment to breathe before dropping himself down on the floor, his anger completely replaced with disappointment.

"Junior, are you OK?"

The boy turned his head to this supervisors after hearing the inevitable question. He stayed silent for a moment as he tried to pick out the words that best described what he was feeling. "...Is this really something I have to do?"

"What do you mean?"

Junior picked himself up and placed his feet on top of the pile of torn cotton and looked at both Mario and Peach, his small red eyes filled with worry as if he was looking for the answer in their respective blue eyes. All he could find was uncertainty and gave a small sigh. "Going to school? I mean, if I really am as intelligent as you are making me out to be, wouldn't it make such an establishment pointless for me?"

His head scanned private conservatory mainly used when Peach is asked to try on new outfits for special events that may be planned out. "And this is a castle, which I believe is coated with centuries of history on it. Wouldn't I be able to learn more here than I would at some silly building where parents drop their kids off just to be freed of that responsibility for a couple of hours?"

"Junior, the point of sending you to school is not to learn, but to make friends. Connect with the people on a personal level." Peach answered, to which Junior turned away from her stare. He didn't know why, but the thought of doing such a thing was uncomfortable to him and turned to the mirror behind him. Staring back at his reflection, he noticed the apparent anxiety written on his face and a thought popped into his mind.

"...What if...what if they don't like me?"

The pretty princess was caught off guard by the question and sent her into deep thought trying to come up with the best answer that she could to calm the koopa. Unfortunately, Peach could not recall any experiences she had which she dealt with a similar problem. The idea was foreign to her. She was always taught to give respect to those who deserve it and to treat everyone fairly, but she was never taught what to do in a situation where the respect doesn't come back.

Mario watched on to see how his friend was handling this and thought it was going smoothly till this question popped up. For as long as he had known her, Mario never found a single person that disliked her, save for all the people that attacked her who just wanted to see the world burn. So it would make sense to him that she didn't have an answer. Thankfully, he knew exactly what to say to ease the koopa's mind. He stood up from where he sat and walked over to Junior, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder and locking their eyes together.

"Junior...it is fine if people don't like you. You won't make everyone happy, but you can still definitely be the best Junior you can be. You will find people in the world one day that will like you for who you are. It may be here or it may be elsewhere, but don't allow something so small as other's opinion of you keep you from being you. You are wonderful and undoubtedly destined for greatness."

Junior stared at Mario's bright smile that spoke words of hope and encouragement to him. He could feel the anxiety slowly leave him, while not being completely gone, and started to smile back at his guardian in red. "You really think so, Mario?" Mario nodded his head. "I believe anyone can achieve great things. They just have to put in the work and believe in themselves, just like you have to."

Junior remain silent for a minute in order to think about what the older man said to him. Even if people didn't like him, he still had family that he could go to if he was ever in need of any help. Though, he wondered if Mario was talking about him finding friends, or if he meant that the koopa himself could be the friend that others would seek out.

The young turtle nodded at the statement and embraced his father figure, who reciprocated the action by wrapping his arms around the boy's smaller frame. "Thanks, Mario! I understand now. You are awesome."

Hearing Junior say those words to him pinched Mario a little bit deep down. As much as he wanted to side with the kid, he knew that he was keeping something extremely important from him 'It is for his safety.' Mario thought to himself as he broke the hug and chuckled. "No, I am not Junior. I'm just someone who is looking out for your wellbeing. That's all."

"Well, you are doing a really good job at it."

"Hehe….hey, why don't you go wash up and we'll play some video games. Huh, bud?"

Junior's eyes lit up from the suggestion and answered with a delighted "Yeah!" Mario let go of him and watched as Junior ran with excitement to his room to get himself ready, Peach smiling in astonishment of how the former plumber handled himself in the situation.

"That was good advice to give him, Mario."

He nodded at the compliment keeping his attention on the path the young boy ran. "I had amazing teachers who loved me as best as they could. I just hope that he will also be able to take that same message with him wherever he goes." Peach put her hand on his shoulder on the same way Mario did for the koopa and gave him a small smile in agreement.


	5. Significance & The First Raid Pt 1

_**Hey guys, it is me again, Lovemet123. I think I am doing pretty good with keeping up this schedule of monthly updates, yay! This thing was supposed to be longer, but due to time constraints, it had to be sliced in half. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter ^^**_

* * *

The next few weeks were filled with distress for Junior as he tried to get through each day that seemed to drag on the longer he remained within the walls of a facility that was meant to guide young minds towards success. He was always told that it would be bustling with students talking and playing around which would allow him to be able to move past people without being the center of attention. This did not become the case when he set foot on to the white tiled floor for the very first time and was immediately greeted by the attention of wandering eyes and agape mouths that lacked any escaping words or sounds. Junior could feel the suspense around him slowly rise as he moved his short legs through the crowd that stared him down in an almost disapproving way. The pressure weighing down on him, as well as the overwhelming scent pine and grass from being near a majestic forest that became an undeniably enticing tourist attraction, was almost enough to make Junior vomit. Thankfully, he had no such accident on that first day and that pressure gradually became easier to deal with.

His experience within the school boundaries, however, was anything but pleasant. As much as he tried cautiously, he couldn't make any friends as he either scared them off with his terrifying appearance or was shooed away by teens that saw little in him. He may have been younger than they were, but the knowledge the koopa carried with him allowed him to skip a couple of grades and be with kids that could like he could. That didn't mean they saw him a worthy of their attention, which made Junior feel a little more inferior even when he tried to remind himself of what Mario told him.

The teachers didn't make Junior's time there any better either. They always talked down to him in an exasperated tone and tended to throw him out of the classroom, sometimes figuratively sometimes literally depending on the teacher, and more often than not, if not all the time, left the boy completely confused as to what he did wrong. He had been kicked out of projects, group activities, even the school's first rally and could never figure out why he was being treated so different from everyone else. As a result, he attempted to stay low and to himself, not appearing when he name was called despite being on the outside of the classroom and listening to the lecture from there, sitting at the far end of the the lunch room from all the other kids that dared not to go near him and spending time underneath a lonely tree doing the homework he collects at the end of class when the teachers are absent from the room.

"Do you happen to be a boy named Junior by chance?" a soothing, gentle voice sounded out and the koopa looked up eyeing the Principal of the school, Mr. Write T. He was a tall, slender adult toad with a luxurious looking mustache on rough, aging peach skin and red polka dots on the top of his head, though his beady black eyes seemed to brim with life. He wore a classic tux shirt and navy blue jacket with the white pants this race of inhabitants were known for. He most definitely seemed distinct from the raspy-voiced, barely shirtless toads Junior was used to seeing in the hallways of the castle.

Almost immediately, Junior tensed up at the sight of the elder toad as he put his work aside and stood up from his place. "Mr. Write T. What are you doing here?" Junior asked, nervous about what the principal might be standing in front of him for. The toad only chuckled and straightened his mustache before answering the boy. "Do not be alarmed. I have come to get you and bring you into my office. I would like to discuss something with you." Every bone in Junior's body was screaming at him not to follow the old man back to the room every student dreaded of entering for one reason or another, believing this may be part of Junior's string of bad luck he has had since entering the school. However, he couldn't deny that the principal had a friendly atmosphere around him and deduced that if he wanted to do something bad to Junior, he would have done it already not that he ruled out the idea completely.

"...Yes, sir." Junior nodded and began to pick up all the pieces of his assignment and toss them into his black bag, zipping it up and throwing it on his shoulder. Mr. Write T. watched silently on, observing the behavior the child was giving and how calmly he was getting his things together and it put a smile across his face as he leads the way to his office. The entire trip there had been hushed between the student outcast and the head of the school, and while Junior knew that the man was not under any obligational conditions to present a friendly banter toward him, the assurance he had about this uncomfortable silence was gradually diminishing.

"Please, come inside." The man finally spoke up as he opened up a red door that led into a clean office with comfortable looking furniture and bookcases spaced away from each other filled with books that most students Junior's age and older would care less to get their hands on. Junior complied with the request that was given to him and entered the room cautiously making his way to one of the many chairs available to him and sitting in an upright position as he watched his elder bring in a couple of trays. "Sandwich or cookie?" He asked the young koopa who simply shook his head at the toad. "N-no thank you, sir. I-I just had lunch." Junior knew that it was a lie that the principal would see through, but he could bring himself to take either one when he had no idea of the man's motives for the action.

The older man gave another hearty chuckle as he put the trays away and made himself comfortable in his chair and giving his attention to Junior who was becoming a bit more comfortable with his situation while still feeling uneasy. "That is quite all right, dear boy. It is nothing to worry about, though you might be interested in one when you leave my office today." Mr. Write T. said as he pulled on a handle and a drawer of files opened. Searching through the manila folders that were in his present view, he found the one he was looking for and pulled it out of the cabinet and shut it before turning back to his desk and laying it down in front of the koopa who read the name, Toadstool, Junior.

"Now, I have been reviewing your file for quite some time, Junior. While it shows me that you have a significant level of a learning advantage, the grades that have been coming in on your record so far have not been up to par with which the council was expecting or I had hoped for. You have not only been receiving grades lower than 50% accuracy, but you have also had notices pending on you for lack of attendance and disrupting the class. What I fail to see, however, is how your behavior today could match up to the accusations the teachers have against you. Is there a reason behind any of this unexpected lunacy, Mr. Junior?"

Junior thought long about his time in class at Royal Mushroom Middle School and the way he interacted with his surroundings, but he couldn't remember doing much, if anything, to interfere with the lessons being taught to others. In fact, he recalled not having much time in the classroom to do much of anything before being told to leave which seemed to be under unfair circumstances and the report he had on him concerning his progress in school appeared to be viewed in a similar way. "I'm sorry, Mr. Write T. I wish I knew the reason behind it, but they never specified what I did wrong before I am forced to pay attention to the class from outside of the room." Junior answer as honestly as he could, hoping this wouldn't put him in a spot of unnecessary trouble.

"I see. I did suspect that you were causing trouble for a while when I saw the reports, but I decided to try and give you the benefit of the doubt like I do with all of the students. Out of all the ones that have come into my office, you are the only one that has not shown any sort of hostile disrespect toward the staff, myself included. That sort of proof definitely trumps all of these referral notes I have been receiving about you, so I believe you are a good kid and the teachers are playing some cruel game of favoritism by messing up your right to education. However, the school board has asked me to deliver consequences on account of all the slips, so I am going to have to suspend you from school grounds until I am able to get things settled."

This news disheartened Junior a little in light of the fact that he was being taken out of school, a place that was supposed to be giving him a chance to make friends, because of writings on sticky notes declaring that he messed up when that was hardly the case.

"There are a number of things I can do to help you such as sending your homework to your residence and seeing if I can provide a private tutor, but until this has been investigated thoroughly, I'm afraid I can't let you back onto the campus." He said to the boy who could only give a low sigh of defeat before nodding his head and speaking. "Yes, sir. I understand. Thank you for the opportunity." He stood from his chair and grabbed his black bag setting it on the chair. He slid off the smooth green koopa shell he wore and unzipped his bag to pull out a navy green zip-up hoodie and threw it on himself.

Mr. Write T. then turned to his desk telephone and picked up the receiver. "What is the number for your household? We can call your guardian to come and pick you up." Junior shook his head at the question, trying his best not to shed a tear for the treatment he had been getting only to end up right here. "T-that's okay, Mr. Write T. I walked here, so I can walk back by myself." The older man was puzzled at the response. "Well, if you are sure about that, then I bid you farewell. If you need to get in touch with me for any reason, your guardians should have my number."

Junior nodded and was about to make his way out of the door, but then paused and turned back to the principal with a thought in mind. The man gave him a small smile toward him and Junior felt that the man was wanting to apologize for the way his staff may have acted toward the youngster. It was genuine. Junior turned back to him and approached his desk, the man curious as to what Junior may have had on his mind. "...I-if it is alright, I would like to take some sandwiches or cookies. For the road." Mr. Write T. chuckled at the requested as he pulled out the trays and presented them to the boy. "I knew you were going to want to take some."

* * *

The hoodie top draped over the koopa's head enough to be able to obscure his face from view of other, but have leaves just enough space for him to see the trail he walks on. Small noises of crunching can be heard coming from the koopa's mouth as he silently snacked on the chocolate chip covered treat after finishing the initial sandwich. He traveled through the residential Toad Town on his way to the castle where many eyes laid on him in wonder and confusion and heard the many conversations people had that seemed to be questioning who or what he was.

"What is that thing?"

"Oh god, it's hideous. It shouldn't be alive."

"Don't look that way kids, he is dangerous."

"I feel sorry for the chump that has to live what that thing."

Junior had already felt small in his time at school, but somehow listening to the townsfolk talk about him in such a disrespectful manner, with some of them using choice words that the koopa was not willing to repeat aloud, made him shrink more as he quickened his pace to try and get away from this haunting reality. He could feel massive pressure on his eyes with tears welled up in them and slightly blurred his vision as he passed by many objects that looked like blotches of color to him and accidentally dropping what was left of his cookie when he felt the tears come down and made a run for the emotional sanctuary that was Peach's castle falling deaf to the voices of villagers who did express concern for the boy's well-being.

Upon entering the massive home through the red double doors, he was greeted by Luigi who asked how his day was at school. The green bro, however, did not get an immediate answer from the boy that took off his pack and hurled his black bag in no particular direction before storming up the stairs with the quickness, leaving Luigi confused but knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that this day didn't go as well as they had all hoped, like the others. Hearing a door slam shut, Luigi sighed at the young koopa's behavior only wishing he knew how to help Junior feel better about what he is having to go through when a ringing phone cut him from his thoughts and he approached it. Grabbing the handle and picking it up, he put the receiver to his ear and spoke clearly for the other person to hear. "Toadstool Residence."

"Good afternoon, This is principal Jeff Write T. of Royal Mushroom Middle School. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?" Luigi's concern grew into a worry when he heard this. "Luigi," he answered. "Luigi? As in The Green Lightning Luigi? One half of the famous Mario Bros?" The Principal questioned. "Yep, that is us." Jeff gave another chuckle at this leaving Luigi confused. "Well, who would have thought I would get the pleasure of speak to Princess Peach's heroic bodyguards who also happen to be idols for lots of people around the world. No wonder Junior had such aspiration."

"Junior. Is he OK? Did something happen?" Luigi asked, hoping to quickly get to the reason why they were being contacted by the school to which Jeff gave a low sigh. "Unfortunately, yes. I need to talk to you about Junior…"

Mario arrived back at the castle twenty minutes after Junior had his silent fit and noticed Luigi was just getting off the phone only to turn around with a stressed expression on his face which made Mario a little concerned for whatever he was about to hear.

"That was Junior's principal. He has been expelled."

Mario's eyes went wide at hearing this incredibly distressing news. "What?" Luigi closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to prepare himself for a long conversation, then opening his mouth and told Mario of the events that have transpired up to now, from the fit Junior displayed to the discussion he had with the principal. The heroic man was bewildered at the ridiculous explanation of an unfair situation, despite his not being surprised about cruelty Junior would have received, but he never expected them all to act so vile toward the boy. He knew that sending him to school was a bad idea and now he has to bring these results to Peach and there is no doubt in his mind that will be anything but pleased. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Junior's black book bag thrown against the castle wall and abandoned walking over to pick it up. Mario could only guess that Junior was in his room and ran upstairs to attempt talking to him, but upon arriving at his door and grabbing the knob, Mario could feel the lock keeping the door in place from moving and knocked a couple of times.

"Junior? Are you in there?"

When the man wasn't answered, he could tell this wasn't going to be an easy day for either of them and sighed pulling out a key and slipping it into the hole unlocking the door. When he entered the room, he noticed the lack of light within it and small whimpers coming from a huddled up figure in the blankets that shook. He approached it cautiously and pulled back the covering sheet to find the young koopa boy laying down with tears rolling off the side of his cheek and onto the pillow who was frightened by the sight of the more dominating figure.

"Junior, why are you rolled up underneath a blanket?"

The boy sat up and looked away from the gaze of the guardian that came to check up on him, though Mario could tell he wasn't going to get an answer right away and sat next to Junior rubbing the boy's bare back as a sign of reassurance and trust. The boy felt a lot of his sadness welling up inside and the heaviness it carried in his neck hesitant to share what he was thinking about as he didn't want to cause himself to shed more tears over something he couldn't control.

"Why am I being treated so different from everyone else? It just seemed like the attitude I have received from Teachers and Students alike have only been exclusive to me. Even some of the villagers see me as a mistake and I just don't understand. What am I doing wrong, Mario?"

Mario hated seeing the boy being so down about himself when it seemed like he hadn't even been given a chance to show off his true potential. Junior was a boy who Mario knew could do something great if a particular situation presented itself to him and therefore won't allow him to get down about this barrier Junior seemed to see between him and everyone else.

"OK, so maybe a school setting isn't the best for you when it is filled with people that have ridiculously biased morals and double standards that half of society itself can't follow along with, but that doesn't mean you are being treated or will continue to be treated differently. It may seem like it, but you aren't the only one that struggles with these kinds of things. It takes very strong individuals to take it and kill it with kindness and I believe that you are one of them."

Junior looked up at Mario who was still shown as a blurry image from his teary-eyed perspective. The man always seemed to know what to say to him to make the boy feel better and this time was no different as he lunged forward and trapped Mario in a bear hug nuzzling his chest and find his comfort level of breathing. Mario smiled down at Junior and wrapped an arm around the smaller figure pressing on his spike-less shell bring him into a protective hug using the other arm to gently caress the top of the Koopa's head and comb the tuft of hair that was a brownish red tint, a trait Mario found odd.

* * *

"Expelled?" Peach was flabbergasted at what her knight in blue overalls had just said to her about Junior's predicament this afternoon. Walking over to him with her mouth agape she stood in front of him with her hands to her side. "What do you mean he was expelled? His work is top notch for someone his age, his mannerisms are well above decently polite, his attendance there was superb compared to the other lousy students would rather play on their pocket devices all day, and yet somehow he is the one that is being put to the wall of shame?"

Mario closed his eye and took in a deep breath to give himself a moment to gather his thoughts and proceed accordingly wanting to ease her nerves. The man has known Peach to not make the best decisions when she is thrown into a mood by the off-putting news. "Peach, calm down. You know how you get when you are upset."

Peach opened her mouth at first to comment but stopped herself knowing Mario was right and that there were matters that were more important to keep her focus on that how she feels about the mistreatment on the school grounds. "Two hours after I calmed Junior down, I received some information about his time there, after they conducted an experiment and the results are astonishing," Mario said as he brought up a small binder and set it on the table in front of the princess and opened it for her. Upon reading the contents of it, Peach's jaw dropped a bit as Mario explained. "These scores are a reflection of the accuracy of his answers."

Peach analyzed the bar graphs and info that had been written down, such as the number of attempts to make sure Junior's work was correct. "These results are showing that Junior's work is significantly more accurate than the grades he had been given prior." Mario nods at this. "That means he had been messing with him and they said it was due to some sort of horrifying paranoia they had about him when they first met him."

The princess gave a small sigh at the delinquency this highly reputable school managed to achieve with one child and can only hope that the future of the other children does not fall under the same unfair circumstances. "Well, as distasteful as this may be, it is a better outcome to what could have been had they recognized Junior."

Mario gave confused expression hearing this as he was not sure how people wouldn't have recognized him by now, or if they did why they wouldn't have made a bigger fuss about it for the general public. "What do you mean, your highness?"

"Well, since it will affect you and Luigi, I suppose I could share this with you." The pink adorned woman began. "I went to a magikoopa and asked them to cast a spell that would wipe the memory of Junior's past from the masses with the exception of you and Luigi, as well as myself. This way, he will have a more level playing field when he interacts with others."

Mario's mouth fell at the confession from the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. "Peach, you can't just do that, especially against the people's will. Erasing memories no matter how specific you are about which one to take out can have devastating consequences as you don't know what you could be messing with-"

"I am well aware of what my actions could have done and I had carefully considered all possibilities before coming to the decision. However, the magikoopa I spoke with also happened to be a seer and said he had foreseen my coming to him which seemed to be part of a destiny that Bowser Jr. was born into. A prophecy that he wouldn't go into detail about but foreshadowed that the boy has a purpose that is greater than any we have ever been told of."

Mario took a moment to thoroughly processes what Peach had just said which piled on to the information he was already trying to make sense of, but this seems to be the most urgent piece of info. "A...purpose bigger than us?" Peach nodded and she recalled her conversation with the magical being. "He said that his future is dependant on how we raise him from this point on. He seemed extremely giddy of the situation. We may not know much about this foretold prophecy, but I do insist that you continue to help him grow to the best of your ability and hopefully, he can be someone that can make the whole kingdom proud."

* * *

 ** _Well, that was a lot to process, huh? Poor buddy. He is just in the most unfair...and perhaps most unlikely situation he has ever been thrown into._**

 ** _For those that were wondering why I didn't expand on his time at school, it was because, while I didn't want to spend too much time on it as I thought of it as a small segment, it was still a significant detail that was needed in the story as it depicts how others around Jr. treat him._**

 ** _As far as the prophecy is concerned, I definitely have an interesting idea for that and it won't be revealed to maybe the end of the story, but hopefully, die-hard fans of Super Mario will recognize the signs and put the pieces together~_**

 ** _Thankls for reading and I hope to see you next time~!_**

 ** _Lovemet~_**

* * *

 ** _Oh! Before I forget, I also wanted to announce that the story will also be posted on other sites, hopefully starting with the next chapter. I will do each one like I did on here which is by monthly updates. However, this one on Fanfiction dot net will be 5 or more chapters ahead of everyone else, since this is the main stay of my writings._**


	6. Significance & The First Raid Pt 2

_**Hey guys. It's Lovemet again with a new chapter to The Prince. And just in time, too. I felt like I was taking forever on this since my IRL schedule seems to keep me busy a lot of the time. I hope this doesn't feel too rushed as I did try to take my time with it. If it does, let me know in the reviews as I do read those.**_

* * *

Giving a small grunt, Junior was sent flying back into the tall but well-shaped square hedges behind him, the sound of rustling branches following his entrance into the deep greenery. Poking out his head and shaking his head to clear off any leaves that may have latched on to his hair, he looked out to the opposing side which happened to be Mario who was bent over trying to catch his breath. When he did, he straightened his body back and made a small grin with his mouth, even chuckling a bit in a manner that would paint him a villain if spectators didn't know the context behind the action. "Excellent, Junior. You lasted a good two hours against me without giving up. I am very impressed with how quickly your endurance has improved since some of my past opponents haven't yet managed to get past thirty minutes."

Junior sighed with content as he managed to fight his way through the tangling bundles of royal shrubbery that scraped and poked at his thick reptilian skin. "Alright, Junior. Let's go again." Mario commanded getting back into his battle stance with a smile on his face that showed how excited he was for this training session. Junior gave a low growl that only he could hear being fed up with the countless training sessions they have had and not once did the plumber in red elaborate why it was necessary for him to do so. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath to calm himself and took his own battle stance concentrating on Mario being his opponent and the task of taking him down.

Without much more hesitation, Junior dashed forward toward the red and blue clad man and started swinging his fists at him, but Mario was quick to dodge each attack. Mario didn't want to do too much damage to the young boy, so every time he made his moves on Junior, he would always attack with his palms instead of his fists to whichever place he aimed for. While it didn't hurt as much as a regular punch would, the palm attacks were still powerful enough to cause Junior pain especially when Mario connected the front and back of his hand to the face resulting in what would have been brutal slaps. The strikes, as simple as they were, overwhelmed Junior, giving Mario the upper hand almost instantly and allowing him to defeat Junior with a final slap to the face which threw the koopa down.

"...Although, I guess your defensive techniques could use a bit of work."

The koopa shot Mario a glare as he managed to stand up, though his exhaustion messed with his balance with his right cheek showed a glaring red mark from the hand that swatted at him, an attack Mario was undeniably sorry for. "That's it, Mario. This is getting out of hand, literally." The koopa spat at his human guardian while holding his the irritated cheek. "I do not want to spend another unknown number of hours being your living punching bag, especially when you have not given me any sort of motive to be put in this position in the first place."

Mario was taken aback by the boy's words, wondering if he had hit him hard enough to make him forget the reason they were out in the fields fighting in the first place. "Junior, you are not a living punching bag. You are a worthy opponent who just needs to hone his skills. It is important, if not incredibly critical, to your own survival that you learn how to defend yourself in case you are ever attacked." Mario knew he wanted the absolute best for Junior, but he didn't realize that he was much stronger and more knowledgeable about fighting than the apprentice was.

"But why? It doesn't make sense for me to know how to fight when we haven't been bombarded in a good while." Junior commented. "Even two week, though in my opinion is still a bit of a stretch, is a more believable amount of time than eight months is for someone as evil as The Koopa King to-"

"He's not evil!" Mario yelled back, cutting off the surprised Junior who didn't expect such a defensive response. The plumber took in rapid breaths from the energy that was jolted out of him for the reaction as his face melting into a more somber expression, his eyes looking away from the boy as he spoke again. "He's not… He may have dealt with a lot in his life and made a lot of bad decisions, but he isn't evil."

Junior could only stare at his mentor speechless after hearing what the human said about the supposed tyrannical ruler of the Koopa Kingdom. He remembered in his studies looking over the history of the giant turtle monster himself and found that the king was responsible for most of the world's nastiest disasters and that he is to never be trusted. What he couldn't understand was why his guardian was being so protective of his supposed rival from the idea that the fire-breathing red headed atrocity might be a terrible villain. Was it because of Mario's complex heroic demeanor that somehow made him believe that there is good in everyone, no matter how much damage they may have caused in the world, or was there a deeper layer in the relationship of the archenemies?

The boy turned his head away from Mario feeling a string of confusion and worry moving within his inner thoughts. "Then, why? Why am I having to be thrown into all of this? What would my 'knowing how to fight' gain us if the person we are supposed to fend off is not only a doable opponent who isn't evil, but is also completely absent from any opportunity he could take to catch us off guard?"

Mario brought his attention back to Junior after hearing the question, but couldn't give an answer that would make sense through his mouth, even if it made sense in his head.

"I don't mean to disrespect you Mario, but it is not as if within the next five seconds that the welcoming blue sky will turn to a vicious dark red one, an aircraft would be sailing this way, and the enemy would be calling out your name in a murderous fashion."

Right on cue, the sky darkened into the menacing red color Junior just described, alerting the two and casting their gazes toward the incoming battle airship that Mario immediately recognized. Strong winds and lightning erupted from static and tension that was created in the air from this unexpected event. An angry roar sounded from the airship what was loud enough to ring in the ears with only one word that was thrown into the air.

"MARIO!"

Junior's heart rate skyrocketed from the sound of the grim voice, not being able to believe what he was seeing. "T-t-there's no way that's r-r-real." Mario gritted his teeth and ran over to Junior, grabbing his arm. "That's absolutely real and extremely dangerous. Come on." Mario yelled, pulling Junior in the other direction of the airship.

* * *

"Lord Bowser, we have the target in sight. Permission to proceed onto the castle grounds."

The large koopa took a deep breath that felt almost satisfying to him, noting the change in aroma from peaceful pines and sweet garden fruit to burning wood and ashes as he stood from the stationary chair he sat upon and turned to the hammer bro that spoke up. Bowser's eyes were lit aflame with determination on accomplishing the one goal he chased after for years on end; to defeat the heroic human in plumber uniform, however, this time was a more revenge driven attempt. He clenched his fists tight and spoke up for the hammer bro.

"Permission granted. Storm the castle and raid them of any life you deem meaningless. However, refrain from killing the main three. I want to watch them suffer first. Especially, refrain from attempting to capture Mario. That must be done by my own hand as I have a bone to pick with him."

The Hammer Bro was completely unsure of why his king would want to keep them alive if he was only going to torture them till they inevitably meet their end. He personally thought it was going a bit overboard on Bowser's part as he never imagined his leader having a sadistic side, even if it was all to get even with the loss of the boy who was next in line for the throne, which made the Hammer Bro all the more uncomfortable around this new side of Bowser, but nevertheless nodded and scurried away to fulfill his duties.

"My lord, I understand that you feel that you must get back at those that have caused you a great deal of grief,"

Bowser gave a low growl in annoyance hearing the unofficially appointed "voice of reason" as he turned his head to give the magikoopa minion his full attention, despite how much he wanted him to shut that trap of his. Kamek repositioned the bridge of his spectacled glasses on the top of his nose mentally prepared himself for a verbal tearing from his majesty himself.

"But I strongly believe that the outcome of this will be worse than what you initially stated-"

"So what? Am I supposed to stop it now? After I already gave the 'go-ahead'? We are far too deep now to think about regrouping and trying something else. Besides, these treacherous worms have angered me for the last time, so entertaining the idea of sparing them for their misdeeds against me would have been the best scenario for them if that is what you're are trying to suggest, but I doubt there my minions would want to throw away the chance to avenge the fallen." Bowser barked before his anger turned into sadness, bringing his closed hand into view and opening it up, revealing the burnt handkerchief.

* * *

Rushing through the red color grass that gave of the appearance of hundreds of bloody spikes with strong gusts of wind blowing their way from the flying fortress, Mario hurries his way to a small wooden outhouse that was being hidden in the tree dragging Junior by the hand. As they ran for it, Mario took a short glance at the airship and noticed lines of rope being tossed out of the windows and edges, koopa troopas and hammer bros making their way down each one. Alarmed by the sight, he sped up his running, though Junior was having a bit of trouble keeping up as his mind was attempting to concentrate on something else. Soon enough after dashing into the trees on the farther side of the castle, they both arrived at the outhouse and Mario swung open the door.

"OK, Junior. I need you to get inside."

Junior was surprised by Mario's sudden demand for him to go into a lonely room that looked vacant from afar and, like the rough winds that caressed his covered backside, a wave of unease washed over him. He looked to the room and back at Mario, who could see the fright that clutched at and held Junior with a tight grasp, almost paralyzing the little boy from listening to the man and making the steps forward. He was rattled by the idea of walking into the space without any clear reason as to why he needed to do this, but knowing Mario, the koopa knew he probably wasn't going to get an answer if he asked, so he went ahead and hurried inside.

Just as he thought, the area was empty aside from a built-in sitting bench, though it looked look the area was big enough to fit and hide two people within the confines of its darkness. That's when he heard the door slam loudly, scaring Junior as he quickly turned around and saw that he was in there alone, fear immediately coursed through his veins and prompted him to run to the door and try to open it. It was to no avail as the door wouldn't budge open for him, despite pressing and kicking it, and called out for Mario to get him out, his cries reaching the ears of the man who had locked him in there on purpose but could only respond with an agonizing reply.

"I'm sorry, Junior, but I have locked you in this room to keep you safe. It is too dangerous for you to come out right now. Please, trust me. I need you to stay in there as quiet and as still as possible. I will come back to get you. I promise."

The man in red leaned against the door as he listened to more of Junior's pleas and attempts to break the door down, feeling the slight twinge in his heart that he had to lock up the boy to keep him from getting into a battle he may not have been able to get out of. As much as they have trained in the fields together and as much as Junior has improved in the small time, Mario knew that he just wasn't ready to tackle on the troops that were headed their way and only hoped such a day would never come to pass, though he knew better than to believe that idea was even plausible. He turned to face the oncoming army that raced toward the courtyard, running through the town and causing mayhem as they approached, and held out his hand to produce a fireball as he readied himself to take on the oncoming threat head-on with the rest of his friends, knowing that Junior will be protected.

"Alright, Stars. Guide me now."

* * *

Hyperventilating from the sudden change in the environment from an open, free area to a more compact space designed for hiding from what seems to be an incoming disaster, Junior backed away from the entrance and bumped into the wooden bench, immediately sliding down and listening to the commotion. He could hear a crowd of people yelling as they came forward with explosions following shortly after and the yelling turning into painful cries that all rang in his ear, scaring him enough to make him go into fetal position. The offending scent of burning ash and smoke filled his nostrils and he figured out why he was put in this secure room, but it wasn't enough to ease his mind as he reminded himself how his family was out there fighting the bad guys. The heat from the seemingly ongoing war outside lightly caressed the boy's face and rough skin which collected small inaudible whimpering from the koopa who imagined the suffering in the faces of those that were supposed to be the enemy and only hoped that everyone he cared about would make it out safely. The increasingly terrible thoughts were overwhelming for Junior and they caused his eyes to well up, filling the brim of it with his tears that seemed ready to fall from the edges but stopped as the tears blurred his vision in his ruby red pupils.

Hours seemed to drag on slowly to him and the supposed endless screeching and loud bangs began to dissipate, leaving a trembling Junior to take notice of the absent noise after a while and prompting him to get up from the place he sat and approach the door again. He placed his ear to the wooden door and picked up on some of the popping and snapping from what he could only assume was a lit fire that hadn't gone out yet as well as the whistling of the winds and small footsteps here and there, till he picked up a pattern of footsteps that sounded quick and were getting louder. He realized that the footsteps were coming toward him and he back away from the door fearing what may be headed his way.

A sound of sliding was heard and the door swung open, Junior cover his face with his shaking hands to obscure his vision for from seeing the creature that was going to take him, hostage, until he heard a familiar voice.

'"Junior?"

The boy turned his attention back to the person standing in the door who was the recognizable green uniform, though the orange color of the sky darkened his figure, but was light enough to see the worried expression on the man's face.

"L-Luigi?"

Immediately after confirming it was indeed Mario's younger brother, the little koopa ran to him with his arms out and finally letting the tears fall from his face and down to the ground as he wrapped them around Luigi's neck, the recipient reciprocating the action by holding the boy tight. A couple of seconds pass and they release each other from the meaningful hug as Junior walks out to see the disastrous aftermath of the fight with many unknown casualties just thrown about the place like limp rag dolls, his horrid expression unchanged from the traumatizing sight. It caused the boy to well up again with sadness as his breathing again quickened and tears brimmed the edges of his eyes again, instantly falling from Junior's cheeks as he quivered

"W-Why? What did this have to happen? I...I k-knew the people called the Koopa King ruthless, b-but I...I never imagined that...he could be so callous t-to cause so much misery here."

"Well...Many people would agree with what you say, Junior," Luigi replied, taking ahold of Junior's hand and walking with him toward the castle. "But knowing my brother, and I know him well, he will say that the King has his reasons, even if they seemed to be unjustified. Though this time around, I would have to agree with him." Junior looked up at Luigi through his blurry vision confused as to what he meant by this as they approached the double doors. "What reason could Mario think of that would warrant the evil king to initiate a mass murder?"

Luigi looked back at the boy and was about to answer the question before he took in the distress Junior had on his face and contemplated if this was the right time to tell him the truth that they were able to hide from him for a while. As much as he wanted Junior to know the truth, especially after everything that has happened moments ago, he couldn't bring himself to reveal the secret that would cause all kinds of emotions to rise from the boy that would prove detrimental to not only Junior's relationship with him, but also Mario. Even if he could bring himself to do it, he knew it wasn't the right to throw out such a secret with people lying out on the battlefield who need his help, and in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't his secret to tell. It was one that he had to let Mario handle when the time was right, a thought he played in his mind as he turned the knob and opened one of the doors.

"...I honestly don't have the slightest idea as to why he would think that."

The two raced down to the corridors passing up various people as they made their way to the hospital section of the castle toward one of the occupied rooms, Luigi letting himself into it where he greeted with a koopa doctor and Mario, who was bedridden from the many blows he had encountered during the fight.

"Dr. Koopelle, is he going to be okay?"

Kane Koopelle was one of the many doctors in the castle as well as one of the Directors Of Nursing Mario and Luigi befriended during his time in the field. Junior had met the guy a couple of times in the past, the first time being when Junior has a cold and Mario was not able to check up on him due to his leaving to a meet up with Peach at 8-Figure Central park to focus on activities for an upcoming event they were planning, an obligation he couldn't get out of. Kane was in his last few weeks of college before earning his Doctorate in Medical Sciences and Science in Nursing when the two were introduced to each other and was working to gain more experience for his classes. He had said that both Mario and Luigi were his inspiration for going into the field and soon enough, he became a Medical Practitioner and began working at Peach's Castle, helping hundreds of patients a day, with one of his inspirations being one of those patients today, and he won't let him down.

"Oh, Luigi. I am glad to see you are still alright." Dr. Koopelle spoke as he turned to Mario. "He is out cold for the time being, but he is going to be fine. I gave him some medicine that will numb the pain when he wakes, but thank the stars it isn't anything too serious."

Luigi pulled Junior closer to him hearing this news. While he was grateful to hear that his brother was safe for the hands of death, he still felt like he could have done more to prevent such injury. "At least it can't be any worse, right?"

The question was answered with silence with Kane's eyes averting Luigi's gaze as the man in green put two and two together. "...No. No, he didn't, did he?" Junior looked up at Luigi wondering what could be wrong.

"I am afraid so. He must have swept her from under our noses during all of the chaos. Some think it was planned to be like this, others say it was an opportunity that presented itself to him. What I say is that it doesn't matter the intent, it is a mission that someone has to fulfill, and unfortunately, there are not many who are brave enough to take on the task, especially after just happened."

Junior, unable to understand what the conversation was about, wiggled himself out of Luigi's grasp and headed over to Mario to inspect his body, but to his relief, only a minimal amount of bruising could be seen on his arms. Luigi took notice of Junior's interest in the unconscious man and figured that he himself would be best for the job since he was like his eldest in a lot of ways and it seemed that Junior would be too occupied here to be aware of the taller brother's disappearance.

"Kane." Luigi began as he turned his attention to the doctor, who in turn gave Luigi eye contact to let Luigi know he was listening. "Do you think you can watch over him to make sure he doesn't leave till Mario wakes again?" Kane looked to Junior, also taking note of the boy's attention being giving to Mario, then looked back at Luigi. "Well, I will have to speak with the rest of the staff here to make sure our operations go smoothly, but I can try to make it work."

Luigi smiled and nodded, giving Junior one last glance before making his way out to for another rescue mission, knowing that he will be safe. Junior stared at Mario's face, mainly where the eyes would open and opened his mouth to say what he was feeling. "Mario? I...I know you can't respond right now, but if you can hear me, I want you to know that when you get out of this bed, I am going to train as hard as I can to be strong enough to protect you guys."

* * *

 _ **God, I am putting this poor boy through so much. I am so sorry to those of you that wanted a more light-hearted story when I wrote about Bowser Jr, but it is mainly because I can not have him doing well just yet. Most of the beginning was meant to be dark (if it seemed that way to you guys) because it is setting up for something bigger later in the story.**_

 _ **This was the introduction to a koopa doctor named Kane Koopelle, just to showcase that anyone can be a doctor if they did the work they needed to. What did you guys think of him? Should he be in more of the story, should he not? Let me know.**_

 ** _As I said before, I do read the reviews and I can't express how happy I am to be able to share this concept with you guys and see that you like it. I honestly thought some of you were going to hate the idea of Mario being a father figure to the boy that seems to love his papa more than life itself and I would be crucified for an insane idea lol. I will say I did see all of those fanfics about Mario's negative treatment of Bowser Jr. and I was just like, "Well what if the positions were reversed and Mario was acting like the father?" This is how The Prince was born lol._**

 _ **Next thing I wish to talk about is the idea of a training camp where I will try to dedicate a chapter to the training that Mario puts Junior through. While it isn't technically necessary for the story to continue, I can do that for you guys if you want that. Would you guys like to see that or would you rather I just continue the story? Let me know in the reviews~**_

 _ **Thirdly, I would like to announce that today is the day that this story will also be posted to other sites. I will list all of the places on my profile on where you can find it. That way, if you have a friend who you think would enjoy the story on the other sites, or you just want to follow along elsewhere, you can direct them to the story wherever it is on that site, though keep in mind that FF will be the main home for it, and will, therefore, be the most up-to-date by being 5 chapters ahead. A little incentive for those that would like to read more of the story and are not coming from FF.**_

 _ **The last thing I would like to talk about is (and this may scare you a bit XD) Story Commissions! Or rather the idea of them. I will be honest, I have asked some people to answer if they found me interesting enough to want to commission me to write a story and I have been told "Yes." So I would like to put this out there on the table for those that care about this info. Would you guys be interested if I open for them? Or even opened a Patreo'n' for it? Maybe even stream it? Let me know in the reviews!**_

 _ **OK, I believe that is all for now. Thanks for reading guys and I will see you all in the next one!**_

 _ **Sincerely, Lovemet~**_


	7. Recovery

_**No introductions or long talks. Sorry for the wait everyone. Here is chapter 7 of The Prince**_

* * *

"DAMN THEM!" The words blasted from the mouth of the inflamed koopa king and bounced randomly off the walls and into the ears of any guards close by, followed by fast-paced crushing stomps as Bowser made his way to his private quarters, leaving behind a trail of thick footprints into the red carpet that separated his gargantuan feet from the floor beneath him. Upon approaching the double wooden red doors with gold markings, the reptile pulling his arm back in a charging manner and thrusted forward into the door, breaking it open as he barged inside the room.

The room looked a lot more grandiose and extravagant than the bare throne room everyone one else was used to seeing. The pastel red stitched-in carpet felt soft to the touch and stretch across the 21'0x28"9 sq ft large box that closed around Bowser with pristine looking white walls and a khaki colored roof over the top with a gold chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Against the back wall in the middle was a king-sized mattress drowned in red comforters and blankets topped with fancy red pillows that had Bowser's emblem on top of the bed, Brown wood pillars with carved details that scream royalty surrounded the bed. Placed on either side of the room were brown bookshelves and royal red dressers, each filled with items or pictures revolving around the koopa king and/or his son.

Bowser whipped his arms quickly around the space that he could reach as he approached one of the bookshelves, blindly attacking it and the items that sat atop of it. The cases that had photographs of him and his son together flew from the small space, the glass of each one magically cracking around Junior. The boards broke under the force and weight of his arm. He clutched the edges of the shelves and used his ferocious strength to toss it across the other side, destroying the other bookshelf and screaming his curses out repeatedly.

"Calm down, my Lord. Not only can your loud voice penetrate through these thick walls and petrify your troops, but you know what needlessly bad temper tantrums do to your body." Bowser's right-hand magikoopa shouted above the loud sounds that boomed around him. Pulling out a scepter with a blue jewel on the top of it, he gave it a whirl and immediately the room was put back together. Bowser, despite still being mentally unstable, could only stare at the smaller figure he towered over and clutch his fists tightly. After a moment of intimidating silence, he was able to muster up whatever voice he had left in him.

"After what I lost, boiling blood that courses through my veins which spike up the pressure within an absolutely miniscule predicament."

"Bowser, you know as well as I do that you were never intending on harming him in the way most would have expected, despite your numerous threats to do so. Why you make such bluffs is a mystery to me, but you should do well to count your blessings that you stood up against a small, but surprisingly powerful bunch."

Bowser let out a low growl hearing this statement, embarrassed of his loss to the toads, a group that he was able to overcome many times. He gently dropped himself onto his bed sighing from discontentment.

"Hmph, who knew the little shrimps would be able to give a decent fight when they tried. I had a prediction that if I knocked Mario out, the rascals would scram and leave me to tend to my business, but such was not the case and they caught me off guard. I just have to plan better next time. Make a plan that even the princess wouldn't see coming."

The magikoopa shook his head at the defiance his king had been displaying since the moment they arrived home. He wondered if he himself was to blame for the behavior. He knew that Bowser was never a child he had to raise, but did so anyway to make sure the koopa line lived on, which was one of the reasons he thought Bowser had been after the princess to begin with.

"I admire your persistence on the issue, my lord. It is an astounding achievement for them. However, going in with the rage that you displayed hindered the operation. I suggest that you will do well next time to remember not to barge in there the way you did. We are lucky we got a hold of the princess."

"So what if we managed to get her? She wasn't my target…"

Silence washed over the conversation between the two and drowned it out completely. After analyzing what had just come out of his mouth, Bowser was beginning to feel uncomfortable looking at the magikoopa who he also thought of as his mentor. Nevertheless, he dared not break his gaze away from Kamek believing it to be a sign of weakness if he were to turn away from the issue at hand. The silence remained until Kamek decided to break it not wanting to allow it to linger longer than it needed to be.

"Sir, I think a small bath will help you calm your nerves."

While he does find Kamek's antics annoying at times, Bowser can't help but admit to himself that he wouldn't be able to function well without him. He knew there was a good reason that the family chose this particular koopa to be the advisor. He still couldn't help feeling the slightest bit of nervousness when talking so openly about the subject to him, even if the koopa knew already what was going through his king's head. "...You're right Kamek. Tell the guards that I am not be disturbed."

"Yes, My lord," Kamek replied with a small bow before turning towards the doors and making his way out.

Sighing, Bowser gets up from his bed. Any sort of anger that he had felt before had completely dissipated and the koopa felt weak at his knees. He dragged them along the royal carpet toward the bathroom. He found himself out of breath and fell onto the frame of the door, trying to recover from it. The king realized how much energy this more recent tantrum took out of him. He wasn't a fool though since it had to do with something precious to him. Bowser remained unsure of how he will be able to carry on, but he knew he had to, no matter how much it hurt him

Moments later, Bowser turns on the gold plated faucet that allowed the water to run into the black marble tub before him. It was big enough to fit him, Jr., the koopalings, and maybe a couple of his troops that he deemed deserving of such a special treatment. The temperature in his grand bathroom rose higher steam formed in the air above the water. The sound of the rushing water was that of a small waterfall adding to the clear ocean. The king felt the warmth curl around his claws and took his hand out when he saw there was enough water.

Silently moving away from the tub that awaited him, Bowser put himself in front of a mirror where his red fiery eyes stared back at him. He gives a small sigh and strips off his shell before returning his attention to his reflection. Examining his body further, he noticed that he had lost a lot of the weight and fat that made him who he was. He placed a hand on his stomach, where a big belly should be, and only felt a flat surface. There wasn't a bodybuilder six-pack in its position, but neither was the fat that he had come to adore just a bit.

The koopa's bottom lip started to quiver and his vision becomes blurry from more tears that were ready to burst. He knew that the reason for his sudden change in his appearance could only be the loss of his boy. He had been so busy trying to think of ways to succeed in revenge, as well as sitting in his bed to try and cope, that he forgot, and sometimes flat out refused, to indulge in food like he used to. He usually had to be forced into eating, and even then it wouldn't be a lot of food that would get inside his maw before he runs off to resume his work.

His heart ached more and more wishing it was all just some nightmare that he could wish away, but it wasn't a dream, and he understood that no magic of any kind would be able to bring him back. He could only imagine people telling him to move on from thinking about the past so much, especially since he had lost loved ones before, and yet he still had no idea how to do that. Junior had been a big part of his life and he was clueless as to how he could ever move on, even if he manages to take over the Mushroom Kingdom.

He finally turns back to the gigantic bathtub that beckoned him to come closer and grant it the power to relieve his stress away. Wiping his tears from his eyes, he approached it and put one leg inside the water, followed by the other. Bowser allowed himself to dropped down into the mini pool and lay back to let his body soak in the heat. His attention was glued to the ceiling of marble colored in spontaneous red and black marks. In a way, it gave the image of a gruesome battle between two warring states represented by the two colors. An image that followed similarly to his more recent battle.

Shaking his head from the trance, Bowser took his notice away from the ceiling and laid his eyes on another picture of him and his son. He and Junior were donning party hats, confetti shot behind the both of them, and balloons rose above the father and son duo that spelled out: Happy Birthday. Memories instantly came to mind and he could hear the child's innocent laughter. 'I got your nose, papa.' A moment in which Junior had gotten cake on Bowser's nose.

He felt his stomach tie up in knots as he weakly reached over to the picture and clasped it in his hands. He brought it over to his front view and clenched his teeth. He knew the memory to be a moment from Junior's fifth birthday party. He brings the picture closer to his chest and closes his eyes as he submerges himself and the photo deeper in the clear liquid wanting to not think about anything else. Air bubbles lifted to the top of the water from his mouth while he breathes the oxygen through his nose. Pure tranquility washed over him and his mind turned black again, imagining his son sitting next to him

* * *

Eyelids open and ocean blue pupils stared at a simple gray ceiling with a surprising amount of depth in the thought of the color choice. The irises scanned around what they could see inside the rest of the room they were in. A white colored toilet, a gray bottom cabinet and marble counter with a sink inside, and a towel rack that stationed twelve pink towels. After a good analysis, these eyes were able to create a full image in mind that resulted in a bathroom and allowed the rest of the body to wake from supposed slumber.

Warmth caressed every area of the body that owned the eyes and a heart was silently heard beating steadily in the flowing clear liquid. A moment later, the form moved up from the position from simply laying down to sitting up and was able to see a reflection. A sigh escaped the open mouth and the eyes continued staring toward the other side, images of fire and helpless victims of its wrath being engulfed into it. It was a disturbing view to keep to oneself, and yet, it was a piece of the reality this individual lived in, a haunting one at that. And the figure wasn't sure what it could do about it.

Suddenly, a hand that was not of the individual's own reached out and submerged itself into the water and took the bathee out of contemplation. Immediately, he could recognize the green skull, small horns, little red eyes, and the auburn hair. The man didn't hesitate to cover the little space his slightly reddened legs and arms could manage.

"J-Junior!? W-what are you doing in here?"

Sure enough, the small child responded to his name being called with his red eyes moving to focus on the human. However, his facial expression was nothing of shock, but rather a look of agitation. The stare pierced through the shield of embarrassment he held up against the boy but tried not to waver.

"What does it look like, Mario? I am testing the water to make sure it isn't too hot." Junior insisted as he yanked his hand out and flicked his wrists to shake off any water on it. The bothered tone in his voice made it sound like he had something else on his mind and only used an excuse as a cover-up. "The doctor said to make sure you weren't sitting in a boiling temperature for a long period of time."

"How did you even get in here?"

"Really, Mario?"

The boy sighed and slips his right arm into his shell, fumbling inside of it. After a second, he pulls the arm back out, with an object in hand. It was a yellow key with a little bow on top of it. Mario immediately recognized the grooves on the item itself.

"That's a skeleton key." The man confirmed to himself

"Yeah. With all the times you barged into my room even when I had my door locked numerous times, you would think I would eventually figure out how you did it."

Mario's face grew redder with embarrassment that he had forgotten how attentive Junior could actually be when he tried. While he knew the boy was smart, the human didn't think he would be able to determine the solution since it didn't seem like a problem to go and parent a child like you are supposed to. Junior shoved the key back inside his shell, giving his father figure eye contact that also expressed the attitude in his voice. Mario turned his gaze to the wall as to not cause further awkwardness.

"J-Junior, I'm naked in here."

"Ngh, I don't care that you are. I would rather see you naked and alive in a bathtub than to see you fully clothed and dead in a casket."

Mario gasped at what came out of Junior's mouth with a pained yell, turning his attention back to the boy. He saw the rage in the little red eyes and the sadness from the tears building up on the rims of the eye sockets.

"How dare you think that you could just lock me up and run off to almost get yourself killed." Junior spat as he splashed the water at Mario. Any embarrassment he felt about Junior seeing him without clothes was completely replaced with guilt. He didn't feel like he had a choice at the time as it was protecting Junior, but looking back on it, he wondered if there was a way he could have handled the situation differently.

"...So you are still upset with me?"

"What do you mean, 'Am I still upset you'? I'm absolutely furious, enraged, pissed off."

"Junior! I did not teach you to use such disrespectful language."

"What the hell would it have mattered if I had lost you?" Junior cried out, finally letting those tears fall into the water as Mario's mouth is left agape from being yelled at. "T-tell me. What w-was I going t-to do? Huh?"

Mario remains silent at the question, knowing that he still hurt Junior despite his best intentions. He thought about what Bowser would have done in this situation and decided that he wanted to show him how much he cared. Weakly, he moved up to a surprised Junior and pulled him into a hug, calming the koopa.

"I'm sorry, Junior. I never meant to put you in such a state of worry. I promise I will never do it again."

Junior pulled back and analyzed Mario's facial expression. He sniffled and wiped his face with his dry arm and reckoned that the promise was genuine.

"...I'm gonna hold you to that."

Mario nodded as he watches Junior jump out of the tub, shake off any excess water and turn back to him.

"Don't try to move anymore for a little bit. Dr. Koopelle says that even though you didn't take any major damages, moving around will keep you from healing like you are supposed to. I'm going to help Princess Peach make some tea for you that he recommended."

Mario nodded as Junior left the room and closed the door behind him. The man finally sits back and relaxes in the bed of warm water, thinking about the recent event and hoping he could keep his promise the koopa boy, especially after seeing what this previous battle has done to the town.


	8. 7 Years Later

Here is Chapter 8. Wanted to do something more ambitious with it, but it led to procrastination, so I am going to split it up too.

* * *

Mario had been laughing merrily for a couple of minutes at a joke he heard his younger brother tell to their small group of friends, who were also laughing at the successfully executed punchline. Among these friends were Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Wario, Waluigi, and Donkey Kong. It had seven years since everyone last saw each other and it weighed down on the princess a little due to being the one that organizes many of Kingdom Wide activities they all participate in.

Yoshi had grown a little taller than Luigi and is almost always, if not always, ecstatic to see him, sometimes even as far as giving him a lengthy bear hug, not that the man-in-green minded it so much. He was also noticeably skinnier due to some type of diet that he placed himself on, despite Mario's insistence that the dino should refrain from doing that. His voice grew a little deeper in that period, though not by much since he does still sound like he has a high voice.

Daisy discarded the princess garments for a change in her wardrobe that included the current outfit of simple blue jeans, yellow short-sleeve skirt, and stylish short-heeled shoes in the color of light brown. She let her hair grow out a bit toward the middle of her back and kept the flower earrings and flower pendant that rested around her neck. She became much more of an outspoken individual and seemed much more lively then Yoshi, which most people thought was impossible, even if Yoshi had a small change in behavior.

Wario and Waluigi, while most considered them annoying hooligans on a major scale, have toned down the shenanigans in recent years much to the surprise of everyone else. This was mainly because of a successful business that Wario started up in selling games, all of which gave top notch quality and experience. Mario was happy that the duo finally found some honest work that they ventured into, despite having a few doubts himself that they were doing it because they had a change of heart in their ways.

Donkey Kong turned out to be a more intelligent individual than many portrayed him to be when he surprised everyone by speaking in clear English during the conversation, being the first ape of his group to do so. While he and the others have had their fights, most of them involving bananas, the primate has been on good terms with them and considers the colorful cast his friends, especially Mario. He knew that his father had some kind of problem with Mario's, but it was never explained and Donkey Kong did his best to maintain a good relationship with the human, which Mario was grateful of.

"Alright, everyone."

Mario stands up from his seat with all of his friends watching him. It was an amazing thing to the former plumber that his peers respect him enough to give him their attention. He hadn't figured out if it was because of his own influence or his connection to Peach that made it possible. In this instance, however, he knew it was because of the former idea that they were listening.

"I think it is time for us to celebrate this time we have together. I will be making the super drinks we loved so much."

The mention of the item earned Mario happy giggles and sounds of approval. It had been a long time since any of them had received the fantastic treat that they felt lucky to be able to indulge in when Mario made them. Some of their mouths started to water at the thought of sipping the chill concoction that bursts full of fruity flavor that no one else has been able to replicate much to Mario's surprise. With this round of cheers, Mario made his way to the door in the back that leads to the kitchen.

"Hmm, I guess this would be a good time to go to the powder room."

The yellow princess stood up from her place on the couch next to Yoshi and maneuvered gracefully around the table, heading for the hall at the other side of the room.

"God, to think it has been seven years since we had all last seen each other. I am safe to assume that Bowser's productivity came to a halt somehow?"

Peach nodded to the question Yoshi presented. "I know it makes me sound a bit pessimistic about this period of peace, but I can not expect this time to last long. With our history, it would be a surprise to the entire land if he waved the white flag."

In the shadow of the hallway, a figure stood near the walkway frame leading into the lounging area that held the guests of Peach's castle. It did not make a sound, taking in the information being talked about.

"How long do you think it will be before he gets the hint?" Yoshi inquired, tilting his head a bit.

"Hehehe, I think he will keep trying until he is successful. The Mushroom Kingdom is one of the most influential places in all of the galaxies. I imagine whatever power that is being held here is what he is after." Wario chuckled. He may not look it, but the evil-looking yellow man was quite intelligible about all sorts of tricky business due to his own experiences in them himself and could only wonder what kind of setup the King has up his claws.

"You know, if you are going to eavesdrop, you may as well introduce yourself."

The figure turned to see the Sarasaland princess standing behind it, her arms folded across her chest and a slight grin on her face.

"Hey, guys! Look what I found snooping around in our business."

Everyone turned their attention to Daisy and noticed the smaller individual whose hand was being pulled by the former. It was a little lanky Koopa, reaching up to Daisy's chest in height. His head was colored green and had unkempt Auburn hair that sat atop. His eyes glossed in the same room light and his irises showcased a beautiful crimson. He had an anxious expression on his face and crossed his knees together, feeling the legs shake slightly from the attention he had pulled to himself unintentionally.

Luigi and Peach tensed up at the sight of awe seeing the boy being shown in front of them and became worried about what the result of this encounter might be. The two were not sure how they were going to explain this particular situation if questions were asked. Moreso, they could see the apprehensive expression on the boy's face, which was reasonable to them considering he had never been in front of strangers

"Isn't he cute?" Daisy shouted affectionately as she pinched his cheek between her slim index and thumb. The silky texture of the gloves wasn't enough to soften the pain filling the young Koopa's cheek. He pulled his head away from her grasp and looked opposite to the direction of the group.

"Now, Daisy. You know it isn't appropriate to get into other people's personal space like that." The pink princess voiced aloud, earning an annoyed look from her trendier cousin. This earned Daisy a smirk from Peach.

"You're such a buzzkill, sometimes," Daisy complained as she returned to the couch she sat on with Yoshi, the boy in tow by her hand. She picked up the Koopa and placed him in between herself and the green dino as she beamed to the child.

"So is this what you have been hiding all these years?" The large ape spoke, directing the question toward her highness of the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach paused a moment to think about how she wanted to word her response. She wanted to make sure that her statement clearly covered over any questions that would follow.

"Yes, Donkey Kong. We found him when was young, roughly about five years of age and I brought into the shelter, though Mario insisted that he take on the parental duties and I'm sure you all understand how Mario rarely take 'no' for an answer when he has decided on something."

Wario gave a loud guffaw as if hearing what Peach said was amusing. "That idea is laughable. I have never pegged my cousin to be the father-type." The round man mocked as he crossed his arms, proud of the small jab at someone he considered a 'goody-two-shoes'.

"Well, despite not having experience in that particular field, Mario has become an excellent father figure for the young Koopa, which you would have known if you were around more often." Luigi pointed out in an annoyed tone. He never liked the so-called cousins due to their mean-spirited attitude and lack of understanding of anyone's achievement other than their own. Even more baffling, they believe that they were doing saints work while carrying around the idea that all others are self-motivated, especially people like Mario. The ideology rubbed Luigi off the wrong way since he knew them to be such hypocrites.

Wario moved his attention over the green-clad man and glared at him, gritting his teeth hard enough to see the darkened gums of his mouth. He wondered when the younger brother of the fungus named kingdom hero learned how to bark back at someone as intimidating as him when he has only known Luigi to be quite the wimp. The larger man turned his whole body around so that Luigi had his full attention, the chair creaking as he leaning forward to stare daggers at his opponent with a menacing expression. "Are you trying to pick a fight with me?"

Any other time, the younger Mario bro would shrink back in his seat, not wanting to cause any trouble, but this was about his brother and he wasn't going to sit there and let Wario of all people talk down to him the way he always had. Luigi turned his body so that it faced Wario, a move that surprised even Daisy, as he glared back. "...I have been on just as many dangerous adventures as everyone in this room. I am capable of holding my own. If you chose to fight me, it will be your funeral."

The energy in the room became tense as the boy watched his friend and a stranger take verbal wacks at each other.

"Hmph, crossdresser." Wario jabbed first.

"Walking garlic clove." Luigi shot back.

"Brother's Shadow."

"Failed attempt of anti-hero."

Wario was started to get pissed with Luigi sharp tongue, as was Luigi with the yellow-clad man's insisted that he would win this battle. They slammed their hands angrily on the coffee table, prompting Luigi to show off his own gritted teeth, which were much cleaner compared to Wario's

"ASS KISSER!"

"ASS EATER"

"BOYS!"

The two turned to Peach who was flustered and embarrassed by the insults that were hurled between the two enemies. A bright red blushed could easily be seen against her light peach skin color and eyebrows furrowed to help form a face of disapproval for their trivial differences in opinion of Mario. Silence filled the room, prompting the two to take their place back on the pink furniture as Peach exhaled a breath she had held in.

"I have never seen such immaturity from two grown men, who should have more respect for each other, if not all of us in this room, after all these years of not speaking with each other. There is a child in this room who is too young to hear such foul language and blatant disrespect and I expect the two of you to straighten up your acts when such a presence is in front of you."

The young boy observed Luigi backing down at the princess's request and the wider man just rolled his eyes. He felt really uncomfortable being in this room with other people, but from eavesdropping, he knows they are supposed to be friends of Mario. However, he immediately felt a chill go down his spine that seems to come out of nowhere and turn into a form of dread that couldn't be explained and terrified him on the inside. He slowly turned to his right with his whole body shaking at what he was about to face and saw the blue eyes of the green dino friend piercing his eyesight. Fear coursed through the boy's body and he yanked his attention away as he threw his face in his hands in an attempt to scratch the skin-crawling image in his head.

Yoshi stared at the boy throughout the conversation and was not fazed in the slightest at the actions of the latter, though he did find himself unusually concentrated on the smaller subject. It was a thought that had been nagging at him since the moment his eyes laid on the strange Koopa and he could not figure out why. His eyes scanned over every detail the Koopa had to offer from the golden reptilian skin to the fiery red hair that burst from his cranium, and yet somehow, he still couldn't solve the problem that was created in his head.

'Where have I seen that before?'

"Yoshi? Are you ok?"

The green dino was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Luigi call out to him, the brother having a concerned look on his face as did the princess that sat next to him. Upon glancing around the room, Yoshi saw that everyone was staring at him except for the boy in question, who kept from looking up at him. It was now Yoshi's turn be uncomfortable as he shifted in his seat to cool his lower body from the heat that had built up, but he felt that he needed to get some answers if only to ease his mind from trying to mentally dissect the newcomer.

"Uh, Y-Yeah, fantastic." He answered nervously, hoping that would be the end of the conversation. He rose from his seat. "I'm gonna go check on Mario to see how close he is to finishing mine."

"Yoshi?" Peach called out to him in a calming voice, getting the receiver of the call to turn around and look at her. Immediately, she noticed his troubled expression hidden under a curious one. It made her wonder what was on his mind, but she wasn't sure if he should be pressed for answers given how likely he was to panic if he was ever severely distressed. "...um, is that really necessary? I'm sure it will be fine."

The T-Rex simply shook his head in response to the question. While he knew in his head that it wasn't an aspect with enough importance to warrant a check over on the hero's work in the kitchen, he wanted to know more about the guest he just met and didn't feel at ease talking about his issues with everyone in the room. "I know it's rather weird that I am letting something as trivial as a fruit smoothie bother me, but it does mean a lot to me. I am very picky about the items that go inside of it, which I guess is ironic in a way since I am not super picky about what I stuff in my mouth. Still, it is a type of recipe that has to be done right if only to ensure the maximum amount of flavor is brought to it and I want to make sure he is doing it."

Most would mistake the princess as one that would believe anything that was told to her, but she was well aware, from the nervousness that her friend was trying to hide, of that Yoshi's intent to avoid the bombardment of questions he would receive if he stayed in the room. She knew of Mario to be such a capable man that simple mixing of drinks would not require an extra hand, regardless of the extensive list of what should be put in them, so she concluded that there must have been something else that he was on his mind that he was willing to share with Mario, but not the rest of the room. She gave a low, knowing sigh and nodded at the response. "Alright then. Just know that is something is bothering you, you can talk to us."

Yoshi nodded at the reassuring statement, humming a 'yes' in agreement. "Thank you, princess. I appreciate the concern, but I do want to make sure that he is getting it right. As my best friend, he has the obligation to please my taste buds." The dinosaur replied jokingly, giggling at the idea the seamed silly to him. He turned back around and headed for the same double doors Mario had gone into, his smile fading as soon as he was out of sight of the others.

The kid had watched with wonder at the stranger named Yoshi, who disappeared behind the kitchen doors, also concerned about what he may have been thinking.

"So! I'm Daisy!"

The boisterous voice immediately made the young one turn to the princess in casual attire, the latter eyeing the kid down with glowing eyes of blue color full of interest in the child.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"...J-Junior." the answered nervously.


End file.
